Scraps from my sabretache, personal adventures

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SCRAPS FROM MT

SABRETASCHE.

BEING

PERSONAL AD VENTURES WHILE IN THE
14th (KING'S LIGHT) DRAGOONS.

BY

GEORGE CARTER STENT, M.R.A.S.,

OF THE CHINESE IMPERIAL MARITIME CUSTOMS SERVICE.

AUTHOR OF

" THE JADE CHAPLET," " ENTOMBED ALIYE," A " CHINESE DICTIONARY,'*

AND " CHINESE AND ENGLISH POCKET DICTIONARY," ETC.

LONDON :

W. H. ALLEN & CO., 13 WATEELOO PLACE,

PALL MALL. S.W*

1882.

[All righta reserved.!

2/0. o . ^^-lOi

LOHDOH :
PBIVTSD BT W. H. ALLSV & CO., 13 WATEBLOO PLACS. ■.W.

5 FEB83

£xfor5.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
CHAPTER

I. — Cantbbbuby .

n. — Maidstone .

m. — Chinsubah .

IV. — The Mabch

V. — Meebut

VI.—" Now Say That "

VII. — Theatbical Reminiscences

VIEL — Theatbicals in Eaenbst

IX.— "I Love You" .

X. — Dummy

XL — The Mabch to Kibeee .

XII. — The Bull Pup

XITL — The Tables Tubned

XIV. — Scbatch-Cbadle

XV. — Off to Pebsia. — Singing Gibls

XVI. — Monkeys .

XVn.— On Boabd Ship

XVm. — Incidents at Sea

XIX.—" JUGGLEB *' .

XX. — Sunday Mobning

PA«1

1
7

17

26

83

89

43

50

56

62

74

79

88

93

106

112

120

125

133

140

IV CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER XXI. — AuRUNGABAD. — My First

Charge 145

CHAPTER XXII.— Harini 153

CHAPTER XXin.— Lahore.— Bhopal Contin-

GENT 172

CHAPTER XXIV.— The Resurrectionist . .178
CHAPTER XXV-— Ratghur.— Saugor . . 183
CHAPTER XXVI.— Maltone ^ . . . .190
CHAPTER XXVII.— Jhansi.— No Quarter . 197
CHAPTER XXVIII.— In a Scrape, and out of

ONE 206

CHAPTER XXIX.— The Battle of Betwa . 213
CHAPTER XXX.— The Fall of Jhansi . . 219
CHAPTER XXXI.— KooNCH.— " Not Dead yet '* 228
CHAPTER XXXn.— Kalpee and Galowlee.—

Ravings and Misty Recollec-
tions 244

CHAPTER XXXni. — Gwalior. — Roasting

Alive ...... 254

CHAPTER XXXIV.— Gwalior Fort . . .262
CHAPTER XXXV.— Conclusion . . . .271

SCRAPS

FROM MY

SABRETASGHE

CHAPTER I.

CANTERBUEY.

And especially, from every shire's end

Of Englelond, to Canterbury they wende,

The holy blisful martyr for to seke,

That hem hath holpen, when that they were soke. — Chaucer.

Deab old Cantebbubt ! with its castellated gateway^
meet entrance into so ancient a city — its quaint narrow
streets, pervaded with an air of quietness and repose ; —
its antiquated, gabled and bow- windowed houses; its
hostelries, where even Chaucer's pilgrims may have put
up ; its alms-houses, with ancient-looking men and women
standing in the doorways, suggestive of those who stood
there in like manner ages ago ; — its remains of convents,
monasteries, and castles ; — ^its ramparts and towers, hoary
with age, but only enhanced in their massive grandeur,

1

2 SCRAPS FROM MY SABEETASCHE.

grand by their antiquity, mutely telling of the fierce fights
they witnessed, of the strong hands that built them, and
the stout hearts that defended them a thousand years ago.
Its " Dane John " with its historic mount, the pride and
boast of the inhabitants, thrown up in one night, and
containing in its bosom the bodies of ten thousand Danes
killed in battle there, forming at once a tomb and monu-
ment more expressive far than the most elaborate
structures of stone or marble ; and lastly, its glorious
cathedral, standing in majestic grandeur in the centre
of the City, towering above — far over- topping everything
— a visible embodiment of the overmastering principles
for the propagation and defence of which it was reared : —

Fine and strong
'T has stood for long,
Jetting up its slender lances

Far athwart the arched sky.
On whose tops the sunshine glances,
While the hirds wing brightly by.

For, enter the city which way you will from its beautiful
environs, and its tall spires are beheld standing out against
the sky, rearing their lofty fanes into the clouds ; from
every street it seems to look calmly and pityingly down
on the puny and fretting cares of the passing generations
who have trodden its time-worn stones.

Well may the city be called "ancient." Pew places
can boast of such relics of the mighty past as Canterbury,
or such historic and legendary associations as are con-
nected with it, coupled with such names as those of Saint
Augustine, Chaucer, Edward the Black Prince, Thomas
a'Becket, and a host of other celebrities.

CANTEBBDfiY. 3

But, though the passing stranger, the well-read casual
visitor, may enter somewhat into these more general con-
siderations, it is only those whose opening years were
passed amid these scenes that can enter into living
communion with the green lanes and varied scenery of
hill and dale, woods and cornfields, by which it is sur-
rounded. How often have I rambled through the many
shady walks, and from Harbledown, St. Thomas's, St.
Martin's, or one of the many hills that encircle the city,
have looked dreamily at it as it lay nestled in the heart
of the valley, with the Stour flowing through its midst.

What excursions to "Park Alley," "Whitehall,"
" Burnt wood," " Fish-Pool Bottom," or other well-known
spots, nutting, lilying, or primrosing as the case might

be ! But to return within the sacred precincts ; for it is

around these venerable piles that the vivid memories of
nay boyhood cling with strongest, even feverish, tenacity.
What awe I used to feel if I had occasion to pass one of
the old churches at night ! — and what a sigh of relief I
gave when once out of the influence of their venerated
and yet dreaded locality! How we boys, too, used to
gloat over the old tales of the " Haunted House " in the
Cathedral yard, and, numbers giving confidence, though
with an involuntary bristling up of the hair at the re-
membrance of the ghostly legends connected with those
places, proceed there in a body, and from thence, whoop-
ing and yelling to keep ourselves mutually in countenance,
through the cloistures and the "Dark Entry," until
chased out of the Cathedral precincts by " Old Leather
Breeches," the lame guardian of that sacred locality.

1 *

4 SCRAPS FROM MT SABBETASCHE.

I can remember, too, how, when growing older, liking
to go into the Cathedral, and while the service was going
on in the chancel, staying in the aisle listening with rapt
attention and delight to the clear melodious voices of the
boj choristers, almost fancying at times some heavenly
choir must be flattering overhead, warbling their angelic
notes, — or, as the organ pealed forth its diapason, wonder-
ing where such sounds could possibly come from ; — above,
below, everywhere seeming to be loaded with harmony —
the whole air impregnated with melody.

And tho anthem slowly rolls.
Over the assembled souls,

With a free

Full melody.

Drinking in this delightful music, I would alternately
gSLze up with admiration to the beautiful stained windows.

With softened shine

From every pane

Whose gorgeous stain

Lies upon

The pavement stone,

Tolling many an awful story

Of the martyr-days divine ;
AMiile a dim torch-lighted glory

Streams from every pictured shrine ;

or the gold and enamelled groined roof, — the whole of
which was popularly believed to have been done by a
woman, though how she could possibly have got up there,
or being there, could have done such masterly workman-
ship, I could never conceive, — ^the looking up alone made
me feel giddy. But my greatest delight was in wander-
ing from one monument to another, somehow lovingly

CANTERBCTKY. 5

lingering near those which commemorated soldiers who
had fallen in battle.

Many warriors here about

Lie, some with crossed hands devout,

These monuments, with their long lists of officers and
men, and the tattered colours drooping over them, were
peculiarly attractive to me. The colours, to me, vividly
telling their tales of bloody Indian battles, of deadly
struggles for those very flags — of their handles having
often felt the death-grip not relaxed even in death. Who
could tell how many brave men those colours had led on
to victory or death ? How many eyes had looked on
them as their guiding star to glory! How many had
reverenced them as pilgrims would some sacred relic!
How many had fought, bled, and died to prevent their
being tarnished ! I used to feel a sort of choking in the
throat, almost amounting to a sob, a swelling of the
chest, and a humidity about the eyes when I thought of
all this, and fancy it was worth fighting and dying for to
be thus honoured ; that I would gladly brave anything
could I but have my name inscribed on one of those lists
of heroes, and I would think to myself " Who knows but
some day a monument may also be placed here to my
memory?" I felt all this then. But this rapsody
about Canterbury and its Cathedral* can hardly be

* While writing the above, I was dismayed by receiving an account
of the fire at Canterbury Cathedral ; fortunately it was extinguished
before any inseparable damage was done.

6 SCRAPS FROM MY SAIJRETASCHE.

expected to interest the general reader as it does one who
loves every stick and stone of the old place — even the
memory of the brave little fellow belonging to the " King's
School," who once challenged me out to fight in the
" Green Court," and who gave me such a severe thrash-
ing. This love for Canterbury is easily accounted for.
I was bom there.

CHAPTER 11.

MAIDSTONE.

See those ribbons gaily streaming ;

I 'm a soldier now, Lisette,

I 'm a soldier now, Lisettc,
And of battles I am dreaming,

And the honours I shall get.

" If you stick a pint, I '11 give you a respectable crop.**
This expressive sentence was addressed to me by Private
Cook, familarly styled Charley Cook, the individual
appointed to cut the hair of all recruits joining the dep6t
of H. M.'s 14th (King's) Light Dragoons, for that was the
title tJien of the regiment I had honoured by my choice.
Having previously been informed of the difference between
a "respectable crop" and a "regimental crop," and
having had ocular demonstration, moreover, by seeing
living specimens in both styles, I was the better able to
draw my own conclusions regarding their separate merits,
and decide without hesitation as to the particular crop I
should patronise.

For the information of those who are unenlightened on

8 SCRAPS PBOM MY SABBBTASOHE.

these points, I will endeayour to explain them. A '' re-
spectable crop" represents the hair closely cut at the
back of the head, but with some portion on each side
allowed to remain a trifle longer, so as to enable the
wearer to display any taste he may possess in arranging
it, by curling (if such a thing were possible), twisting, or
otherwise disposing of it. A " regimental crop " consists
in the whole of the hair being literally mowed off the
bead of the victim to one uniform length of about
half-an-inch, till it resembles a stubble-field, or a
scrubbing brush.

Knowing this, I thought it advisable to propitiate the
hair-cutter by " sticking a pint," which I did, to his entire
satisfaction, and my own particular delectation; for I
should not appear, after undergoing the operation, as if
I had just returned from a sojourn in the cells. I, there-
fore, requested him to cut my hair exactly like his own,
he possessing a luxuriant curly head of hair, that was the
envy and admiration of every recruit in the depot. I need
not say that, on drawing comparisons afterwards, I was
somewhat disappointed.

I was next introduced to the bath-room, soused into a
tub of water, and underwent a sanitary process; my
civilian's clothes were taken away, and I was inducted
into a " hospital suit," consisting of a sort of blue dress-
ing-gown and drawers with night-cap to match, — and
slippers. The whole costume at once unique, and sug-
gestive of fevers and every description of disease that
" flesh is heir to."

Then came the bitterest trial of all. I abominate

MAIDSTONE. \)

physic ! From my earliest infancy no power on earth
could make me take even a pill unless it was care-
fully imbedded in the nicest of jam, yet I was com-
pelled to swallow a tumbler of some diabolical nauseous
mixture — ^necessary to complete my thorough purification,
I suppose. Aghast as I was at this fresh innovation —
disgusted at the idea of having to swallow the filthy
draught — seeing the hospital sergeant, who was a bit of a
wag, grinning at the grimaces I made, and determined not
to let him have all the laugh to himself, I gulped it down
in desperation, smacking my lips as if I had just imbibed
nectar instead of the atrocious compound, and held out
my glass as if anxious for more. Fortunately he thought
I had had sufficient, and I rushed out of the surgery " a
sadder and a wiser man."

After having suffered all the horrors of " quarantine "
in hospital for two or three days till my uniform was
made, I emerged from my chrysalis state into all the
glory of a fully-equipped " gay young recruit," and was
conducted to the barrack-room, where I was installed in
a berth, and was immediately surrounded by a crowd of
admiring friends, who were obliging enough to sell me —
one, a silver- mounted riding- whip — another, a pair of
spurs with hond-fide " shilling rowels." These being de-
scribed as absolutely necessary to my respectability as
a dragoon, I at onc^ purchased, though I discovered
shortly afterwards that I had paid slightly through the
nose for them.

Then followed a series of different kinds of ** setting
up " drills, such as " goose-step," " extension motion,"

10 SCRAPS PROM MY SABRETASCHB.

" club-drill," <&c., till I should be considered fit to appear
in public, that is, allowed to go out of barracks. This
process generally occupies a month, and in some cases eyen
two or three ; for your awkward man must be licked into
shape before he can " parade his figure " in the streets,
the "back-stick" often being extensively used, though I
am proud to say I never had one on in my life, being at
that time as straight as an arrow, and flattering myself I
was rather a smart young fellow. As a matter of fact,
few could beat me in feats of strength or agility in any of
the athletic games got up by the young fellows in the
garrison.

I shall not forget the blank look of surprise of a
sergeant who had charge of a squad of us at " club-drill "
on one occasion, before I had been at drill three days.
We were " standing at ease," and he took that opportunity
of explaining to us the many advantages to be derived
from this kind of drill, winding up by saying : " There,
when any of you can do this with the club, I shall dismiss
you from the squad " (illustrating it by taking both ends
of the club in his hands and putting it " straight arm "
over his head behind his back). I at once demurely
requested him to dismiss me, as I could do it nowy or
with my joined hands only. However, he did not dismiss
me then, but reported me favourably to the adjutant,
and in a day or two I was dismissed and never after had
any " club driU."

In the course of two or three weeks, I, with the
members of the squad to which I had been promoted,
had made such progress in our various drills that it was

MAIDSTONE. 11

considered we might be safely trusted outside without
danger of getting entangled with our own legs, or
tripping ourselves or others up with our spurs ; — in fact,
we were supposed now to " know how to walk."

We were dismissed with the following injunction : —
" Now, from this time you will be allowed to go out of
barracks, and don't let me see any of you go slinking
along with humps on your backs, but * throw a chest ' *
and swagger down the street as if you had five pounds
in your pocket, and didn *t care a damn for anyone — even
if you hav'n't got a penny to your name."

He who wears a regimental suit
Oft is poor as any raw recruit.

But what of that ?
Girls will follow when they hear the drum,
To yiew the tassel and the waving plume

That deck his hat.
Oh I he will sing, and, when he 's not on duty,
Smoke a cigar and flirt with some gay beauty.

Of course, we did not fe,il to carry out these instructions
to the best of our power, especially when gallantly " trot-
ting out " one of the fair " Kentish maids," for whom
Maidstone is so justly celebrated. I look back to that
time with pleasure and regret, for I spent many happy
hours there, and my tastes inclining me to rambling about
the pleasant neighbourhood rather than frequenting public-
houses, I passed most of my spare time in that manner,
generally accompanied by some charming little creature to
act as guide, who also liked " going out for a walk " ; so

* Expand your chest.

12 SCRAPS FROM MY SABEETASOHE.

that, though I was prettj hard worked in barracks, I was
not without compensating enjoyments, and these delicious
walks I indulged in on eyery available opportunity.

My berth in the barrack-room was next to that of a
married man, who with his wife and child occupied a
comer of the room, a very little larger than their own
bed, and was screened off at night by curtains, and so
loosely, that while lying on my cot 1 could, if I chose,
see them within their curtained space. This sort of
system of married persons living in the same room, though
much to be deprecated, was a common occurrence then ;
but I must say the women behaved with the greatest
propriety, and the men carefully abstained from using
improper language, treating them in every way with the
same respect they would their own sisters or mothers, —
a circumstance which, I think, reflected much credit on
all parties.

This couple were a most strangely assorted pair : the
man being above six feet two inches in height, and withal
one of the most ferocious looking fellows I ever met
with. This, however, was in appearance only, for he
was kind to his wife (who looked like a little wax doll, and
scarcely reached to his waist), and they lived very happily
together.

Through the diplomacy of my mother, who often visited
me, and who made private arrangements regarding me,"^

* The reader will please bear in mind that I did not enlist out of
poverty, but from a desire to see a little of life in foreign countrieR. I
could have been " bought out " at any moment, if I wished it.

MAIDSTONE. 13

the pair exercised a sort of general supervision over me ;
in other words, " looked after me," making me as com-
fortable as possible, at dinuer-time supplying me with
" tit-bits " from their own table, which I need not say are
not included in a soldier's rations. I was thus in a
situation rather to be envied by my comrades, in regard
to messing arrangements. I considered myself particu-
larly fortunate, for really the woman behaved to me with
all the kindness of a mother, and I take this opportunity
to tender her, late as it is, my best thanks.

I was also fortunate in successfully passing my examin-
ation by the school-master in reading, writing, and
arithmetic. This exempted me from " going to school,"
which is considered a great nuisance by most of the
scholars, as it materially shortens the little time they
have for their own amusements.

In two or three months I was thoroughly master of
" foot " and " carbine drill," and had made great advance-
ment in the ** sword exercise." During that period also,
at intervals, I had occasional " mounts." These ''mounts"
most of us used to look forward to with pleasure, in spite
of " chafing," the inevitable consequence of " bumping
drill " on young beginners.

There is a great amount of fun, too, watching the
inexperienced rider, carefully placed in a proper position
before startmg, and noting when the horses start ofE at
the last sound of the word t-r-r-o-o-o-t, utterly inde-
pendent of the riders; how soon they begin to "lose their
position," till after a few rounds some of them will
ride their horses " from nose to croup " ; endeavouring to

14 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABBETASCHB.

keep their position at first, afterwards frantically trying
to " stick on," and eventually made " field marshals " of.*

This is bad enough, and trying to their dignity as
would-be horsemen, but especially when ** insult is added
to injury," in the grim irony conveyed by the Bough-
rider's bawling out : ** Who authorised you to dismount ?
How dare you dismount your horse without permission P
Never do so again without first asking leave ! " The
fortunate individuals who manage to " keep their seats "
indulge in a suppressed titter, little recking that shortly
they will probably share a similar fate.

Luckily, recruits, no matter how often they fall off,
never seem to hurt themselves ; they invariably select a
" soft spot " on which to deposit themselves. I remember
once seeing a horse gallop off furiously with a recruit,
who received a fall that would inevitably have broken
the neck of a civilian. The rough-rider, however, was not
the least alarmed, but coolly remarked, "Oh, he's all
right ; he knows how to fall ! " And sure enough he
did ; for to my surprise he got up unhurt, shook himself,
and mounted again as if nothing had happened.

At length the time began to draw near when the
" drafts " from the different depots were annually sent to
join their respective regiments. All leave is, therefore,
stopped at this time, under the impression, I believe, that
many who had leave to visit their homes for a few days,
might be tempted to overstay their time till the drafts
had gone, when they would have to wait another year

* Thrown.

MAIDSTONE. 15

before they could be sent. Here I was again fortunate,
through the diplomacy of my mother, who personally
applied to the commandant, and succeeded in getting
three days' leave for me, on the express condition that
she was to see me safe back at the end of that period.
The commandant, therefore, ascertaining I bore an excel-
lent character, sent for me, and spoke in such flattering
terms of me and to me, that my mother was quite recon-
ciled to the idea of my being a soldier under the command
of such a kind-heart.ed officer. I came back from my
visit punctually at the time appointed.

The day at last arrived, long wished for by some, and
long dreaded by others, when the men were to be selected
who were to join their regiments in India. My regiment
was at this time on active service, engaged in the Sikh
war, and many of us were anxious to go out and dis-
tinguish ourselves — see a little honour and glory in the
shape of fighting, and be in time to get a medal or —
something else.

Before calling out the names, however, the officer in-
formed us if any man did not wish to go, to say so, and
another might go in his place. Out of nearly a hundred
selected from my depot, one only did not wish to go, and
the pale face of a woman looking through the barrack
railings with a child in her arms, who would be left behind
destitute, spoke eloquently as to his reason for not wishing
to go, and no one ridiculed him as if he were afraid.
Another man immediately stepped out and offered himself
as a substitute, so the poor woman had her husband for
another year.

16 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCilE.

That evening orders came out that we were to

March away to-morrow,
At the breaking of the day.

The next morning found us — some two hundred and fifty
strong, consisting of drafts from the depots of the 9th
Lancers, 3rd and 14th Light Dragoons — on the high road
to Chatham, with the band playing "The Girl I left,
behind me," And other appropriate tunes. I had often
seen regiments leaving Canterbury, so I was somewhat
prepared for the scenes I saw on every side. Soldiers
and civilians, men and women, all huddled together,
walking along — marching was out of the question. The
whole " line of march " was one series of leave-taking,
some of a very sad nature. Mothers, sisters, sweethearts
and wives bidding a long farewell to sons, brothers, hus-
bands, or lovers. Poor Poll Brown clinging to the neck
of her lover, and sobbing out her " Good-bye, Bill ! You
wonH forget to write to me, darling, will you?" And
Bill's half-blubbering yet emphatic promise that he would
not forget — that he would write — as he tore himself from
her encircling arms, seemed to me quite as pathetic as if
the leave-taking were more elaborately worded.

The novelty and bustle for the next few days, perhaps,
helped to soften the partings of the men ; but how many
sad hearts went back to Maidstone to brood over their
sorrows ? How many " Poll Browns " were there who had
bid " good-bye " to their Bills— for ever ? Who knows ?

17

CHAPTER III.

CHIi^SUIiAH.

Having passed through the usual incidents, consequent
upon a long voyage, we safely arrived at Calcutta, and the
next day were transhipped to a "flat," which conveyed us^
to Chinsurah, a place some twenty odd miles above Cal-
cutta. Here were splendid barracks, into which we were
duly installed, staring at, and admiring everything, totally
xmsuspicious of the fate that awaited us. Night came,,
and with it our enemies, for we had no sooner retired to
our cots, and were congratulating ourselves on the pros-
pect of a delightful sleep, after having been cramped up
in hammocks for so long, when we were startled by a most
appalling scream, that seemed to proceed from a woman
almost in the very room we were in. Such a frightful
sound I had never before heard in my life, it was one
prolonged shriek of agony, dying away into a faint wail,.
as if nature could endure no more, and sank exhausted
under some horrible torture. Every man jumped off his
cot in a moment, anticipating some dreadful scene, but

2

18 SCRAPS yEOM MY SABEETASOflE.

the sound bad not yet ceased when it was taken up on all
sides — above, below, everywhere. The air seemed peopled
with countless invisible forms, who filled it with screams
in every tone of voice — in every phase of agony ! We
were horror-struck — the very blood curdled in our veins,
and if our hair had a tendency to pointing upwards
through being cut short, that tendency became consider-
ably intensified. One old soldier, however, soon allayed
our fears with the naive remark, *' Them *s jackals ! "

After this and other satisfactory explanations, we again
turned in and slept peaceably till morning, when we had
to answer our names at "roll call/' I must say, on
seeing the men fall in, that I was struck with their
disreputable appearance. One would fancy instead of
having been in bed and sleeping comfortably all night,
the whole of us had been out drinking and fighting.
Black eyes, lumpy foreheads, swollen cheeks, red puffy
noses and protruding lips formed the great majority —
there was scarcely a man that had not some distinguishing
mark on his frontispiece. The old soldier before alluded
to was equally happy in his remarks on the subject, and
disposed of this second visitation as tersely as he had
done the former, but in a much more expressive manner,
^'Blarsted skaters" in this instance being the explanation
we received.

When we had been a short time in Chinsurah we were
sent for to " see our accounts,*' and get our " ship's
clearance," or pay, that had accumulated during the
voyage; but most of us looked rather blank on finding
that instead of having anything to receive, a great many

OHINSURAH. 19

were on the debit side. This, to our dismay, was soon
accounted for; after calling over such items as white
clothing and necessary outfit required before proceeding
on the line of march, the sergeant-major came to one
large item of such a sinister nature that it threw a gloom
over everyone, and many a young fellow's enthusiasm for
honour and glory got slightly damped for some time to
come. The last and most unlooked for item in every
man's account was " One coffin," Rs. 16.

Now, I contend that to make a person pay for his coffin
while yet living is not only unfair in a business point of
view, and shows very sharp practice at the hands of the
authorities, but it is calculated to have anything but a
cheering influence on fresh arrivals in India. In fact I
believe many deaths in India might be traced to this
source only ; for there are persons so morbidly sensitive in
their dispositions, that such a circumstance would prey
upon their minds, and they would rapidly qualify them-
selves to become tenants of the coffins they had already
paid for — in other words, they would actually worry them-
selves to death. Whether I am right or wrong, however,
in my remarks, I leave it to medical science to discover.

The unpleasant feelings caused by this singular item,
in my case, soon wore away, and I passed the whole of
my leisure time very pleasantly rambling about the neigh-
bourhood, every day seeing something novel and strange,
and not the least strange was my first " love adventure "
as I shall call it. I was walking out one day with a
comrade named Williams, but who, happening to be a
Welshman, delighted in the soubriquet of " Taffy," when

2 *

20 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABBBTASCHB.

we met a well-appointed carriage and pair, with a native
coachman and footmen in livery, and containing two
young ladies. We had several times met this carriage
with the same occupants, and in common with the whole
of the men believed them to be the daughters of a general
who lived in a bungalow on the banks of the river a short
distance from the barracks. They were known, therefore,
and spoken of by the men as the " General's daughters,"
and as such looked up to with all the respect due to the
beautiful daughters of so exalted a functionary. On the
carriage passing us, I happened to be on the side nearest
to it, and what was my surprise and delight when one of
them with an angelic smile dropped a three-cornered
hilleUcUmx at my feet! The carriage rolled on with its
lovely burden, but there lay the note fresh from her
fairy fingers. I hastily snatched it up, tore it open, and
eagerly devoured its precious contents. They were as
follows : —

Deab Sib, — Be under the third tree of the avenue leading to the
<jhurch at 9 o'clock this evening, and you -will find one who much
wishes to see you.

AMELIA.

Every word of that note was indelibly imprinted on
my mind at the first glance, yet I could not for' the life of
me avoid reading it over and over again. Was it a dream ?
No. This note redolent with fragrance was proof positive
that it was real. Had not the delicate tracery of those
dear words been formed by her own hand ? She loved
me ! Yes ! She, the daughter of a general, loved me, a
private soldier ! Boldly overturning all the barriers of

CHINSUEAH. 21

rank, fortune, and social position, she had dared to tell
me so ! For was not the note I held in my hand a con-
fession of love ? Would she wish to meet me — would she
-condescend to write to me at all, if she did not love me ?
1 should see her to-night — ^tell her in the most impassioned
language, and with all the eloquence at mj command, how
dearly I loved her, how I appreciated her devotion in
descending from her lofty sphere and deigning to love one
so humble as myself.

Ah, would that my heart had some mode of conveying.

Its language in eloquent tones to her ear ;
Or could teach to my lips the power of poiu'traying,

The love that it feels, true, devoted, sincere.

I should tell her that, though but a common soldier, I
would show by my actions that I was made of nobler
stuff — that I would strive to make myself worthy of her

— that I " Well, what does it say ? " broke in the voice

of Taffy, bringing me back from the blissful realms of
imagination, for I had been standing " mooning " in the
road till his unwelcome voice recalled me back to myself.
" What 's it about ? Don't keep it all to yourself ! " ex-
claimed he. In answer, I read the contents of the note
over to him, and he was as much surprised as myself, but
somewhat damaged my aerial structures by hinting that
perhaps the note was intended for him. What audacity !
She love him ! Of course, I resolutely combated such an
absurd idea, but consented that he should accompany me
at 9 o'clock to the meeting- place, and I even promised to
-exert my influence in interesting the sister to bestow her

22 SCRAPS FROM MT SABRETASCHE.

regards on him. This I conceived to be sufficiently^
magnanimous for any purpose.

The day seemed interminably long, but the longest day
generally will come to an end, and so it did in this case.
Long before 9 o'clock Taffy and myself had posted our-
selves under No. 3 tree, and were straining our eyes in
every direction. Could a passenger have seen us he would
have given us a wide berth, fancying our designs anything
but amorous or peaceful. Nine o'clock struck. Every
moment I expected to see her form emerge from the dark-
ness, but no form appeared. Still I did not despair, some
trifling thing had delayed her ; the general had detained
her somewhat longer than usual to sing a favourite song,
or to play some new piece of music. A thousand things
might have happened to cause the delay. The " first
post " sounded half- past nine, still no one came. It was
time to be gettiDg towards the barracks if we did not wish
to be reported absent. Taffy began to get fidgetty and
suggested a hoax. I repudiated hoaxes altogether. "Do
persons of rank and beauty perpetrate hoaxes ? " " Not
very likely." " Would she indulge in a vulgar hoax, and
with me ! " " Impossible." " Perhaps it 's a plot to get
US murdered," said Taffy. I felt the note in my pocket,
and smiled contemptuously ; being dark I suppose he did
not observe it, or probably it had no effect on him, for
after a pause he whispered, " Well, I shan't stop here any
longer. I don't half like this billet, so I shall be off."
I felt almost glad that he was going ; for one does not
like one's hopes and aspirations to be damped by throwing
the cold water of doubt and scepticism over them. I was

CHINSURAH. 23

determined to stop at any risk, and till no matter what
hour. This I told him, and requested him to " answer
for me at watch- setting." He undertook to do so, I, in
return, promising to let him know all the particulars of
my adventure when I saw him in the morning.

Off went Taffy, and I was " left alone in my glory,*'
buoyed up for some time by the hope that she would yet
come, but gradually despairing of seeing her, that night
at least, especially when I heard the " last post " sounded.
I had never before noticed the peculiar beauty of this
sound, but standing alone under the tree, with the rippling
waters of the river running gurgling past me, the notea
of the trumpets, as they came wafted towards me through
the night air, sounded so exquisitely soft and mellow, and
seemed so musically yet plaintively to say, " Come home !
come home ! " that, for a moment, I almost wished I had
gone back with Taffy and was safe in barracks ; but the
very thought was cowardly and I discarded it as unworthy
of me ; besides, I still clung to the hope that she would
yet come.

The last faint notes of the trumpets had scarcely died
away in whispering echoes on the opposite bank of the
liver, when I fancied I heard a movement in the water, as
if something or someone was stealthily approaching the
shore where I was. I listened attentively — there was
evidently something cautiously making its way through
the water, and towards me too. Presently I perceived a
dark object crawling up the slimy bank. Was it an
alligator? It drew nearer. I held my breath, and
strained my eyes to make out what it was. It rose up

24 SCKAPS FROM MT SABEETASCHE.

from its crouching position, and an Indian's voice said^
^* Bibi mdngte, sdhib ? " (Do you want the lady, sir ?).

What a load was taken off my breast, and how relieved
^ud delighted I felt at hearing those three words in a
49trange language, of which I understood but one, — but
that one, to me, embodying the whole of the Hindustani
language, — BiM (lady). This Indian then was the mes-
senger who was to lead me to her presence. " Bibi ?
Yes ! Where is she ? " I exclaimed. The Indian re-
sponded to my inquiries by pointing out river- wards. I
concluded by this that he was instructed to take me to
the back of the bungalow which, as I mentioned before,
was on the bank of the river ; but I would have gone if
it had been on the banks of the "bottomless pit" with
«qual readiness. On inquiring how I was to get there,
he made signs for me to mount on his back and he would
carry me. Without hesitation I climbed on his back,
and he waded slowly out into the dark river, with me
clinging to him with all the tenacity of Sindbad's " Old
man of the sea," till he came to a " budgerow " that was
moored some distance from the bank, but which I had
not hitherto seen owing to the darkness of the night.
The Indian at once carefully deposited me on the deck of
this budgerow. I had scarcely touched the deck when
my ears were assailed by the savage barking of a dog; —
some one within seemed to check it, and a soft voice
cried " Come in, don't be afraid ! " Afraid ! after hearing
that musical voice ! I entered. There sat the " General's
daughter," looking more beautiful than ever — more lovely
even than when she dropped the precious hillet-dotix at

CHINSUKAH. 25

my feet; but there too, chained up to the sofa on which
she was sitting, was a most ferocious hulUdog, glaring at
me with his bloodshot ejes, barking fearfully, and making
frantic attempts to break his chain and get at me. I was
about to move towards her in spite of the fearful proximity
of the dog, when she cried out to me to take care, and
turning her fair form to the savage monster, she ex-
claimed, "Down ye divil, or I'll knock the liver out
ov ye ! "

I was horror-struck for the moment. That one sentence,
delivered in such a palpable brogue, descended with
sledge-hammer force on my aerial-built castles, and de-
moHshed them in a twinkling, or as she would have
expressed it " knocked 'em all to smithereens." To cut
the matter short, I soon discovered bv her conversation
that she was not the General's daughter. The ladies had
mistaken Taffy and myself for two young officers, the
white uniform of privates in the cavalry being almost the
same as that of the officers. We, in turn, had mistaken
them for hond-fide ladies, so that the mistake was mutual*
However, I left the good lady of the budgerow labouring
under the pleasant hallucination that I was a cavalry
officer, and a probable pigeon to be plucked at her leisure ;
but I need not say I did not enlighten her as to my
romantic ideas concerning her, when I imagined her to
-be the "General's daughter."

26

SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHB.

CHAPTER IV.

THE MARCH.

Our marcli up country was quite a pleasure-trip, and
positively enjoyable. It was a real march, too, for
most of us had the prospect of footing it — railways not
being yet in existence in India — to distances varying
from 1,000 to nearly 2,000 miles before we reached our
respective destinations.

We mustered altogether — cavalry and infantry — some-
where about 1,400 men, and merrily we used to trudge
over the road, lightly equipped, for we carried no arms or
appointments ; light in pocket, for care had been taken
that we should not have a superfluity of cash ; and light-
hearted, for we were young and hopeful. The monotony
of the march was occasionally relieved by a tune on the
drums or fifes, or, oftener, by someone singing a song with
a good chorus, in which all joined, doubtlessly scaring
many a wild denizen of the jungle, who probably wondered
— if they could wonder — the cause of such, to them,
unearthly yelling. When about half way on a day's

THE MAEOH. 27

march, we found coffee and biscuits waiting for us by the
roadside. A cup of coffee and a biscuit, and off we
trudged again till we came to the camp, pitched the tents,
and afterwards rambled about the country, or slept, as we
felt disposed. The chief pleasure in marching, to me,
consisted in the perpetual change of scenery, the whole
line of march forming, as it were, a vast panoramic view, of
which each day developed some new phase or beauty, and
the details of which I traced out, as well as I could, in my
own private rambles. At one time in the heart of a vast
jungle, at another amid corn-fields, now under a beautiful
tope of mango-trees, on the banks of a broad river, by
the side of some mountain, on the open plain; changes
.every day ; towns, villages, mosques, temples, and bridges
in endless variety, to say nothing of the meeting with all
fiorts of strange faces and stranger costumes, queer
equipages with queerer occupants. Here I must record
the truthfulness and fidelity of description of a favourite
book. I recognised and could point out every one of the
characters in the "Arabian Nights' Entertainments,"
dervishes, calenders, every one, from the Caliph Haroun Al
Baschid down to the barber ; and I could take my solemn
oath I have met the old dervish leading off the string of
camels loaded with treasure after the covetous man had
blinded himself by applying the ointment to both his eyes.
I have felt positive in my own mind, too, that I have
passed the very ravine leading to the Peri Banao's
palace.

On one occasion an attack was made by a party of us
on a native village, the inhabitants of which having beaten

28 SCRAPS FROM MY 8ABEETASCHB.

-one of the men, a number of us sallied out witli tent-pegs,
mallet-handles, &c,, and gallantly stormed the mud walls,
utterly routing the natives, but almost immediately after
ignominiouslj retreating ourselves at the approach of the
guard who had turned out in force to stay hostilities if
possible, or seize delinquents. Some few stragglers were
taken, and eventually got punished for the whole. On
another occasion the column, while on the march one
morning before daylight, was suddenly startled by the
cry " A tiger ! a tiger ! " There was instantly a commo-
tion in the ranks, and through the darkness the creature
came bounding along, scattering everyone right and left,
into the jungle, some even climbing trees in their desire
to escape the fangs and claws of the much-dreaded
monster. This tiger turned out, after all, to be a young
bullock, which had been tied behind one of the hackeries,
but evincing a misanthropical disposition, and displaying
a tendency to use both hoof and horn on the passer-by,
he had been goaded with the stick of each man who passed,
till, almost maddened, it finally broke loose, plunged
through the column, getting the credit of being a tiger,
and had it all his own way till recaptured.

Tigers at some places on the road, however, were pretty
plentiful ; at one halting- ground a bheestie was carried
off bodily by one of them in broad daylight, and within a
few hundred yards of the camp. At places, too, in the
jungle the men on guard were supplied with firewood,
and their principal duty consisted in keeping up large
fires all round the camp to prevent tigers or other wild
animals from entering. I remember on one occasion

THE MAECfl. 29*

being on niglit-dutj, and I must confess to a feeling of
nervousness when left alone at my post about midnight.
Total silence in camp, everyone buried in profound sleep,
sentries, in the strong glare of the watch-fires, flitting
backwards and forwards, or tending the fires like fire-
flends ; beyond, out in the jungle, intensely black, and
rendered, if possible, still more so by the near light of the
fires. I took good care to keep a good blazing fire, also to
remain on the side nearest the tents, with my ear stretched
to catch the faintest sound from without. The crackling
of a twig, a falling leaf, would make me start and hold my
breath, fancying swarms of tigers were about, awaiting
only an opportunity when the fire should get lower to
pounce on me and carry me off. This sort of thing was
occasionally varied by a distant roar or a growl, seemingly
so near that the very blood curdled in my viens ; but the
most abominable sound of all was the laugh of the hyena.
This I heard several times, and I don't feel the slightest
inclination to hear it again ; for anything more diabolical,
Satanic, sardonic — I am at a loss for expletives — it would
be impossible to imagine. It appears as if a fiend were
busily engaged torturing some unfortunate victim, and
now and then leaving off to indulge in a mocking laugh
at his sufferings, the laugh terminating in a sort of
ironical snigger. It is beyond the power of my pen to
convey anything but the faintest idea of that imeai'thly
laugh. I was very glad when the time came to be
relieved and I could curl myself up on the ground in the
guard-tent and dream of Mem instead.
-Some of our mahouts^ while going through the jungle^..

30 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABRETASCHE.

managed to catch a sbe-elephant and her young one.
The young one, about three feet in height, naturally
followed its dam, and was the source of much amusement.
I saw it one morning as we were sitting down to break-
fast on the ground in the open air — our tents not yet
having come up — slowly steal up behind the brief-speaking
old soldier, deliberately butt him over, snatch up his loaf,
and, with trunk erect, trot off with it, actually roaring
with laughter — if an elephant can laugh — at the feat,
eliciting from the surprised veteran the unusually long
sentence, " Well, I 'm blarmed ! that young swine has
bolted off with my roti.'^

I had often heard and read of the intelligence of the
elephant, but I had not the remotest idea of the estima-
tion in which they are held in India, or the amount of
intelligence they display, and was not at all prepared for
what I now heard and saw. On one occasion I saw an
elephant tried by a court-martial for killing his keeper.
The whole of the keepers and elephants were assembled
beneath a large tree, the prisoner, with his fore legs
chained, was placed in the midst. The keepers, after
discussing the particulars of the case, and unanimously
agreeing in the verdict, uttered his sentence aloud to
the surrounding elephants, who seemed to acquiesce in its
justice. The sentence was : " That he should receive fifty
lashes, have his grog stopped for a month, and wear a
distinguishing badge, in the shape of a chain, for the like
period." He was at once chained up to the tree, and a
veteran elephant advanced to the front and administered
the fifty lashes with a chain, to the evident disgust of the

THE MARCH, 31

<3ulprit and the edification of the surrounding elephants,
who were solemnly looking on. The old fellow whirled
both chain and trunk round in a manner that showed he
was an adept in the science of flogging, and the victim,
beyond wincing and grunting, bearing the punishment
like a — a — an elephant. The worst part of it, however,
was yet to come — the stoppage of his grog — for, strange
as it may seem, I learnt that at that time each elephant
had his daily allowance of grog, much in the same manner
as the men, but with the quantity in proportion to their
size. He would consequently daily feel the deprivation of
his favourite beverage for a month. I often saw him
during the period swinging gracefully along, trailing a
stout chain to his'fore-legs.

Elephants have a keen sense of the ridiculous ; they
do not like to be made the subject of a joke themselves,
but they enjoy one at another's expense immensely. I
afterwards had daily opportunities of observing this, as
an elephant belonged to my tent. Each elephant, in addi-
tion to other forage, has a daily allowance of meat, which
is manufactured into cakes for him by the keeper under
his own immediate superintendence, and he will take
<;are that he is not mulcted of any of his allowance,
weighing every cake that is made in his trunk. I have
4seen my particular elephant watch his opportunity, and
when the keeper has been looking in another direction,
4stealthily abstract a cake and place it with his trunk on
the top of his head, where, of course, it would be out of
sight ; and it was really a treat to watch the air of gravity
he assumed, and the merry twinkle of his comical little

32 SCRAPS FROM MT SABBETASCHE.

eyes when he saw the consternation of the keeper at
missing a cake. This same elephant nursed the keeper's
child while the mother was occupied cooking, <&c., and no
nurse in the world could display more solicitude, or nurse
a babe more tenderly than he used to, rocking it to sleep
as gently and securely in his trunk as if it were in a
cradle.

At length we arrived in Meerut — which the milestone
told us was 999 miles from Calcutta — a place so often
described in the various accounts of the Mutiny that a
description from my pen would be superfluous. Here
the depot of the 14th Dragoons was ordered to remain,,
and the remainder of the depots started off again the next
morning for stations further up the country. In a few
days we were gratified by seeing the regiment march in,,
embrowned by exposure and hard service in the field,
having just come from the Sikh war ; and proud we were
of belonging to such a fine body of men, and anxious
for the time when we could turn out in all the panoply
of war like them. We were at once marched out on the
parade-ground, inspected by the colonel, lots were drawn
for us by the captains of troops, and our depot, as a
depot, was no more ; we were distributed to the different
troops, my destination being the H Troop of H.M.*s>
14th Light Dragoons.

33

CHAPTER V.

MBEBUT.

** Now, then, which are you going to keep ? " The taciturn;
old soldier had just retured from a sharp field day, hungry
as a hunter after his morning's ride, when on entering his
quarters and expecting to find a breakfast already laid
for his particular behoof, he found his wife be-night-
capped and snugly ensconced on the bed with two little
mites of babies as snugly nestling in her bosom. He was
certainly more surprised than delighted when he was
congratulated by the matrons present as the happy father
of these two precious darlings. " Such ducks too! " ejacu-
lated one of them — "the innercent little lambs, quite a
pidgin g pair, ain't they ?" triumphantly turning down a
bit of the counterpane to exhibit them. The father,
perhaps, could not perceive the beauty either of the
metaphor or of " the innercent little lambs," but thought
they looked remarkably red. Nor could he see the affinity
between a pair of squalling bantlings and such tender
comestibles as ducks, lambs, or " pidgings," beyond the

3

34 SCRAPS FROM MT SABRETASOHB.

tenderness part. Worlds would not liave induced him to
touch one of thetn "for fear of breaking 'em," as he
afterwards remarked. Looking at the officious but kind-
hearted women more in sorrow than in anger — without a
word — but with sadness depicted on his manly brow, he
strode forth.

Five — nay, two minutes had hardly elapsed when he
returned bending beneath the weight of a heavy burden,
and gave vent to the expression that ornaments the head
of this chapter. "Now, then, which are you going to
keep?" repeated he, placing his burden on the ground,
and looking round complacently on the assembled com-
pany, as if conscious that he was making so liberal an
ofEer that it could not fail to be appreciated.

" Why, good gracious ! " exclaimed one of the women,
** what has he brought that here for ? " That alluded to
by the woman was the burden he had just deposited on
the ground, a huchet of cold water. What does the man
mean ? Does he think he 's a going to drownd these 'ere
precious babes as if they wos puppy-dogs, or wot ? "

" Look'ee here," exclaimed the taciturn old soldier, and,
meeting the exigencies of the case, he for once threw off
his taciturnity and became quite eloquent and grand in
his eloquence, " Look'ee here, I aint 't a going, you know,
to have two babbies a-knocking about the place. I never
bargained for two, and I'm damned if I'm a-going to
have two. I don't mind breedin' one on 'em, but when
it comes to two — ^why — ^I — I ain't agreeable, so that 's all
about it. However, you shan't say I 'm acting shabby^
for you shall have your pick — whichever one you like.

MEEBUT. 35

Now, then, make your choice, cos the other " ^A signi-
ficant glance at the bucket was more expressive than
mere words, and rounded the sentence off admirably.
"As I said afore, which are you a-going to keep?"
He was interrupted in a fresh burst of eloquence by a
regular feu-de-joie of abuse from the assembled matrons .
We often hear of a volley of abuse, but a feu-de-joie is
infinitely more effective ; a volley is over, or supposed
to be over, at one grand discharge, but a feu-de-joie
is a running fire — ^if one shot misses, another is sure to
tell.

" You unnateral monster ! do you think your own flesh
and blood is pups, or wot ? " said one.

" If I had my will," said another, " it 's you that should
be drownded in that there bucket instead of them blessed
babes " — which, considering his size, would have been
rather a difficult undertaking.

In the midst of this desultory firing, the old soldier
was glad to beat a hasty retreat ; while the mother, who
knew him better than any of them, exclaimed :

" Lor' bless you, you mustn 't mind him — that 's onny
his way, he wUl have his joke. He drownd either of these
little darlings ! Not much ! I '11 bet anything now, if
you could onny ^ee him, that he 's laffing fit to crack his
sides — onny he don't show it — he keeps his laffs inside
on him; but for all his looking so serous — if you knowed
him as well as I do, you would say he 's the funniest
man you ever met, and the kindest too — ^why he wouldn't
hurt a worm, would he, my precious ones ? " Here she
addressed her conversation particularly to the new comers,

3 •

86 SCRAPS FROM MY 8ABRBTASCHE.

— much to their edification — in the way that mothers do
talk to their babies.

These few remarks, however, somewhat mollified the
matrons, and they began to entertain different views as
to his intentions towards the children ; but they did not
fail to mention the incident to their various friends, and
the old soldier was often greeted in a jocular way by his
comrades, with the now standard joker popular inqiiiry,
" Well, which are you going to keep ? "

In the meantime I was progressing very rapidly with
• my drills, both foot and mounted, and in due time I was
dismissed recruit drill, and, being considered a smart
soldier, was at once put into the first class and " told off *'
as a regular skirmisher, which, unless a man has a first-
rate horse, steady under fire, and that will obey the
slightest move of hand or leg, is not by any means an
enviable position, a spirited or vicious horse often getting
his rider extra drill. However, I can boast that in a
period of twelve years I never did one days' extra drill,
either for my horse or myself, which is saying a great deal
for both parties.

I was at that time very fond of dancing, so I at once
became a member of several of the dances held in the
regiment, and, being an adept in " the poetry of motion,"
was shortly after elected to the responsible office of M.C.
of the weekly dance held in my own troop. These dances
were comparatively costless, there being nothing but tea,
coffee, or lemonade allowed. Being almost the only
amusement the women of the regiment could indulge in,
they were looked forward to as a positive treat. These

MEBBUT. 37

dances, too, had a sort of ciyilising influence on the men,
occasional contact with the softer sex at these social
gatherings having a softening effect on their rougher
natures, and reminding them that, though far from home,
they were not altogether without the pale of civilisation.
They were, besides, conducted as respectably as the most
fashionable balls at home could be, and were, no doubt^
quite as much enjoyed. I look back to them with
pleasure.

Sometimes, too, they had their absurd side ; for in-
stance, one evening an old woman belonging to the
regiment, who had probably never before danced in her
life, was persuaded by a mischievous fellow to stand up
with him in the "Lancers," the individual in question
assuring her it was the simplest thing in the world, and
that she had only to watch his movements and imitate
them.

Thus assured, the old lady confidently stood tip with
him, they taking one of the sides. The music struck
up, and, instructed by her partner, she went through the
initiatory bowing to perfection ; immediately the gentle-
man, with a face as grave as a judge, commenced a
" cellar-flap," working both arms and legs in the most
approved fashion, occasionally smiling benignantly on
those opposite, whom politeness only kept from roaring
with laughter ; the old lady, with an agility worthy of a
better cause, did the same, making frantic attempts at a
" double-shuffle " to bear him company, also smiling com-
placently as she saw him do. Fortunately it came to
their turn in reality to dance, and the old lady was led

38 SCBAPS FBOM MT SABBETABCHE.

trinmphantlj through the figure ; she had preyiouslj
been hoaxed, utterly unconscious of the hoax that had
been practised on her, and imagining she had made her
debut in dancing with great eclat.

39

CHAPTER VI.

"now sat that."

tt

Now say that."

The person appealed to did say that, whatever it was,
and instantly a simultaneous roar of laughter burst from
seyen hundred throats.

"Ho! ho! ho! ha! ha! ha! hi! hi! hi!"

The parties alluded to in the foregoing were — a cor-
poral of the 1st Fusiliers ; Corporal O'Niel of the 14th
Dragoons, commonly called Pat O'Niel, unless on duty>
when he exacted the title due to his rank; and the
laughers.

The laughers were horses.

The laughter was continued in every tone of voice, from
the deep bass guffawy horse-laugh to the treble whinny-
ing giggle. The owners of the seven hundred throats,
independent of their derisive laughter, exhibited their
merriment in a variety of fantastic ways, such as snort-
ing, pawing, biting, kicking, bucking, jumping, plunging,
rearing, &g., and were only restrained in their merriment

40 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABEETASCHB.

by the strong head and heel ropes that kept them within
due bounds.

"Ha! ha! ha! ho! ho! ho! hi! hi! hi!"

" Glory be to God, but that bangs Banaghar ! " ejacu-
lated the speaker of that.

" Well, do you give in that you 've lost ? " inquired
the other.

" Is it lost ye mane ? Throth, thin, it 's meself that 's
lost intirely ! " They returned to the barrack room.

What was the cause of this uproarious merriment
amongst the horses, and what was the that that caused it ?
I will tell you.

Corporal Flynn had that morning strolled down to our
lines on a friendly visit to Pat O'Niel, and even at that
early hour they had imbibed a few " drops of the cratur."
Now Pat was a harem- scarem devil-may-care sort of a fel-
low, a perfect gentleman in manner when he chose to be so,
when he could spit out the brogue with the wildest Irish-
man breathing ; he was withal brimful of wit and humour,
and was perpetually up to some " divilment " or other.
During the visit, the pair of them had been busily en-
gaged discussing the various merits of infantry and
cavalry — the one stoutly maintaining the infantry was
the best service, the other as enthusiastically upholding
the cavalry. After a long argument on the subject
Corporal Flynn exclaimed :

" Throth, thin, ye may prate about yer horse, an yer
sword, an yer spikes, but I '11 stick to Brown Bess ; an'
I say that the infantry is betther than the cavalry."

" Hould yer whist ! " exclaimed Pat, " don't be blather-

66

NOW SAY THAT." 41

ing tliat way ! Why, man, if you was to repate thim
words out in the lines, every mother's son of the horses
would laugh at yer ; an' I 'm game to bet ye a bottle
on the strength of it."

The bet was arranged, and the two proceeded to the
horse-lines accompanied by others to witness the cere-
mony. Pat had artfully managed it so that they left the
room just as the clock was on the point of twelve, know-
ing the horses were fed at that time, and at the first blast
of the trumpet for "feed** would neigh and fret with
impatience till they got their com. He saw the trumpeter
in the distance raise the trumpet to his mouth to sound,
he confidently invited the corporal to say that, and the
latter at once repeated the asseveration "I say that the
infantry is betther than the cavalry," with the result as
described above.

I cannot resist here giving another specimen of Pat's
wit and his pardonable vanity, or rather the esprit du
corps displayed by him. One day some athletic sports
were going on at the back of the lines, and Pat, who was
an athlete, had managed to carry off two or three prizes,
and was consequently elated at his success. His part
in the programme being over, he had donned his uniform,
and was sauntering homeward, when he encountered an
infantry officer in mufti, whom, of course, he passed with-
out saluting. The officer, piqued at this, called him back,
and asked why he did not salute him. Pat replied by
his not being in uniform he thought he was not an officer,
and politely inquired his name and rank that he might
.know him in future. The officer innocently gave both,

42 SCRAPS FROM MY SABEETASOHE.

he tumiog out to be a lieutenant. Pat immediately ex-
claimed, ''It appears, then, that you ought to have saluted
me instead of my saluting you. Do you know that I 'm
your superior officer ? especially as I am in regimentals,
which makes it all the more inexcusable in you." The
officer began to fancy he had rather a strange character
to deal with ; but wishing to know a .little more about
Pat, and being himself a bit of a wag, he said he should
like to be enlightened as to how a corporal could be
superior in rank to a lieutenant. " Well, then, I '11 tell
you," said Pat. " A private dragoon ranks with a field
officer in the infantry, because none under that rank are
allowed to wear spurs or ride a horse on parade, and a
private dragoon does both. Now I 'm a corporal of
dragoons, consequently your superior officer." The officer
instead of being foolishly angry, was extremely amused
at Pat's ingenious reasoning, and showed it by sending
him a case of brandy that evening, which Pat duly shared
among his admiring comrades, at the same time gleefully
recounting the adventure which led to such a liberal
gift.

43

OHAPTBE VII.

THBATEICAL EEMINISCENCES.

TLlyisq always had a taste for theatricals, I made appli-
cation to become a member of the " Dramatic Corps "
belonging to the regiment, and was placed at once on the
probationary list till the body of amateurs could decide
on my capabilities. I made my debut — a double-breasted
one, as a friend facetiously observed — shortly after-
wards on the stage of the Station Theatre, playing the
character of Seaweed in "Black-eyed Susan," and singing
a comic nigger melody between the pieces, accompanying
myself on the bones. I think I may venture to say I was
the first European that introduced that delectable style
of singing and music on the boards in India. I repeat it
emphatically — music. For that there is music in the bones
I had ample proof ; that is, if there is any truth in the
well-known lines —

'* Mnsic hath charms to soothe the savage breast," &c,

for I nightly soothed the savage breast of a cohra-di-
eofpello, and it isn't often a singer has a cohra-di-cayelh

44 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBETASCHE.

for an audience. It occurred in this wise. Being engaged
to sing the above-mentioned nigger melody, with bone
accomp^^niment, a certain amount of practice was required,
and I am free to admit that however melodious that sort
• of music might be at times, one does not care to have
it constantly ringing in his ears ; so to avoid annoying
anyone, I used to walk out of an evening on the
plain, about a mile away from the lines, sit down on the
brink of a ruined well, and rattle away to my heart's con-
tent, grimacing meanwhile like a maniac. It was a bright
moonlight night the first time I went, and I was sitting
on the edge of the well, bringing out a particular roll I
required, when I saw a few yards in front of me what I
took to be a long pole. I paid no attention to this, but
continued my practice. Shortly after, happening to look
in that direction again, I fancied it appeared a good deal
nearer. "Devilish strange," thought I. While staring
intently at tliis phenomenon-stUl going on with the
bones — ^I became conscious of an almost imperceptible
movement on the part of the pole towards me, but so
slowly as scarcely to be observed. However, I still con-
tinued playing — at the same time watching carefully this
object, when I felt convinced it was a snake — and by this
time I had been long enough in the country to know how
to distinguish a common " carpet-snake," which is harm-
less, from a " cobra," whose bite is fatal. I, therefore,
detached a piece of brick from the edge of the well, and
tossed it towards the pole, when, with a succession of
hisses, it raised itself erect in a moment, and darted at me,
thus proving it to be a " cobra," for a " carpet-snake " on

THEATRICAL EEMINISCENCES. 45

being thrown at would have been as ready to retire
as the cobra was to attack. I need not say that I
practised no more that night ; but the next night, after
carefully looking round to see that he was not near the
edge of the well, I took up the same position as I had the
previous night, and commenced practice, with precisely
the same result — the snake appearing as before, and
gradually drawing nearer till within about four yard»
distance, when he remained stationary and apparently
highly delighted with my performance, as he never made
any attempt to meddle with me, nor I with him ; and for
nearly a fortnight I had him nightly for my audience,
and although I must admit he never enthusiastically
encored or applauded me, yet after the first night he as
invariably refrained from hissing me.

Snake-charming has been so often written about, that
I can scarcely relate anything concerning it that is new to
the reader. Of course, like all Europeans in India, I have
seen them dance to the music of the snake-charmer's
peculiar pipe, and have also seen the keeper of them
allow himself to be bitten by the poisonous reptiles without
apparent injury. We, however, had such a hatred of them
that we used often to buy one for the express purpose of
"hunting it," or rather worrying it, till it became mad-
dened with rage, and, when tired of this strange pastime, .
killing it.

On one of these occasions a man of my troop had like
to have lost his life. We had procured an immense
*' cobra," and turned him loose on the plain ; the reptile
on finding himself free began quietly to glide off, but inr

46 SCBAPS FROM MY- SABRETASCHE.

whatever direction he went he found himself obstructed^
each of us being armed with a long stick for that purpose,
a thrust of which would excite him, and cause him to
make a dart at the offender, which, had he succeeded,
would have cost the man his life. Sometimes he would
single out one individual, and madly chase him, regardless
of the thwacks from the sticks of his tormentors. This
snake at length shared the fate of its predecessors by
being beaten to death. One of the men took it up by
the tail and swung it round his head in triumph;
by some means a drop of foam from the mouth of the
reptile fell upon the man's hand, in a short time it
swelled up to an enormous size. He was immediately
taken to hospital, and for a long time his life was
despaired of ; in fact, he was ill for six months through
the effect of that one drop of foam. I mention this
incident as showing how deadly their bite must be, if a
drop of the poison on the outside of one's skin produces
such an effect.

Every animal seems to have an instinctive horror of
this much-dreaded reptile, except the mungoose. This
daring little animal is the only living thing that will
venture to face it. He seems to delight in nothing better
than a set-to with this formidable antagonist, in which he
invariably comes off victorious. I have seen several fights
between the mungoose and the cobra, and although the
cobra is perhaps ten times the size of the little fellow,
and could swallow him whole, yet such is his agility that
he always manages to elude his adversary. The bite of
the cobra does not appear to affect him either — or rather

THBATEICAL BEMINISOENOKS. 47

there is always an antidote at hand — for when bitten by
the cobra the mungoose will run away for a few yards,
busily scratch up the ground as if in search of something,
and having apparently found what he required, will return
again to the conflict, nor desist till he has rendered his
foe hors-de-comhat. What the antidote is — if antidote it
be — and there seems no reason to doubt that it is a
most potent one, I believe no one has ever been able to
discover.

I remember, when I first came into the country, being
tsomewhat scared at the reply of the taciturn old soldier
to some question as to what was most necessary for the
road. His answer to my inquiry was, " A hammer." By
dint of questioning I managed to elicit from him that
a " hammer was required the first thing every morning
on the road to tap any snakes on the head that might
be found under one, and that every recruit ought to have
one." I did not fail, after that, to closely scrutinise the
ground in and about the tent to look out for snake-
holes.

Once, while on sentry in the verandah of the main-
guard, a small green snake — ^well known as being the
most deadly kind — either dropped accidentally or jumped
purposely from the thatched roof on to my shoulder,
startling me considerably. Luckily he fell from thence to
the ground, with no other damage to me than the fright.
Once on the ground the butt of my carbine became
intimately acquainted with his head, effectually putting a
stop to any design he might have entertained towards
me.

48 SCRAPS FBOM MY SABEETASCHE.

The most curious kind of snake I ever saw is the
" double-headed " snake. This is from two to three feet
long, nearly the thickness of one's wrist, and not much
unlike a bludgeon. On closely inspecting it, it will be
found to have one end acting for the time being as head,
" properly fitted up " with all the requirements for eating,
&c. ; but the other end, acting as tail, and a facsimile of
the head, appears to be hermetically sealed. The natives
say it uses either end as head and tail alternately,
changing every six months. Thus, at the end of six
months the closed-up end, that has answered the purpose
of tail for that period, opens and becomes the head,
while the head in turn closes up and becomes the tail,.
and so on. I confess this is a subject rather beyond my
comprehension, and I cannot call to mind ever reading
any scientific explanation of this singular phenomenon.
The snake, however, is very common and easily procur-
able. I feel sure any naturalist would merit the thanks,
of the scientific world at least, if he could, either by
keeping one and daily watching it, or by some other
process, arrive at some satisfactory reason for this curious
freak of nature. Perhaps — nay, let me trust that my
few remarks on the subject may induce some one to
endeavour to elucidate the mystery connected with the
" double-headed snake."

Well, I declare! if I have not imperceptibly glided, like
my quondam friend the cobra, from theatricals into the
history of snakes, or something very closely approaching
it. Yet there may be some slight affinity between the
two, for I hav^ «een one or two of our best players who-

THEATRICAL BEMINISOENOES. 49

have died " seeing snakes/' and brought to it by drink, —
a slo-wer poison sometimes, but in India often as rapid as
the bite of the deadly cobra.

To return to my original subject: I gave such satis-
faction at my debut in theatricals, that I was promoted to
the third class at the next meeting of amateurs, and the
conclusion of two more plays saw me ranked as a first-
class player, and I ultimately became stage-manager,
which position I filled till I left the regiment; but of
this more hereafter.

60 SCRAPS FROM MY SABEETASCUB.

CHAPTER VIII.

THEATRICALS IN EARNEST.

I WAS soon discovered to be so versatile in my proclivi-
ties that I was cast for any important character — man,
woman, old, young, dramatic or comic, were given to me
indiscriminately. The reader may form some idea of the
variety when I state that in " Green Bushes " I have
personated the character of Old Meg the blacksmith's
wife and Master Grinnidge in one night, and at another
time "Nelly O'Neill" in the same piece. Those familiar
with theatricals will readily perceive the marked contrast
between those three characters.

Sometimes during a performance many of the officers
came l)ehind the scenes, when they were, if not regular
visitors, " chalked," which meant a case of brandy or
beer. I have even seen a " chit " given for six dozen of
br^iUdy, which is paying rather dear for the privilege of
going behind the scenes. The " chits " were kept till the
day after the performance, when the whole of the ama-
teurs and the theatrical employes would adjourn to the

THEATRICALS IN EARNEST. 61

riding-scliool and discuss the produce of these chits,
much to their satisfaction, the meeting often proving a
regular orgie — ^the " speechless ones," as they dropped off,
being carefully laid in a row in one corner by their more
sober comrades.

One day we had so much drink on hand that, wishing
to get rid of some of it, I, unknown to the remainder,
got two dozen bottles, opened them, and emptied them
into the "water chattie" kept for the use of those
attending riding-school when they were thirsty. The
next morning there was a squad at riding-drill, and one
of them asked permission to fall out for a drink of water:
to his intense surprise and gratification he found, instead
of the pure beverage as he anticipated, good strong
brandy-and-water in the " chattie." Taking a hearty
swig or two he returned to his place, communicating the
important fact to the men on either side of him, who
also asked leave to "fall out," and, after paying their
respects to the chattie, returning and telling others in like
manner. This sort of thiog continued till the whole ride
knew of it, and were constantly asking to fall out, and
as constantly returning smacking their lips and looking
redder in the face after each visit.

The sergeant noticing these symptoms, and thinking it
very strange there should be such an unusual demand
for water, determined to go himself and ascertain its
cause if possible. He soon discovered what attracted
them, and he and his ride plied the chattie so well that
they got chatty themselves ; and one or two, not content
with " falling out," must needs " fall off "; and the end of

4 ♦

62 SCRAPS FBOM MY SABRETASCUE.

it was several found themselves, on waking up from a
drunken sleep, incarcerated in durance vile.

About this time, if I remember rightly, the station
was visited by the King of Gwalior — then quite a lad —
the Governor-General, the Commander-in-Chief, and
goodness knows how many other dignitaries ; for, as I was
Bot on visiting terms with any of them, I cannot be
expected to bear the whole of their names and ranks in
my mind. However, the gentlemen amateurs — and the
station possessed at the same time two regimental com-
panies — determined to give a ' grand theatrical entertain-
ment in their honour, none but the elite of the station to
be admitted, the programmes printed on white satin, and
every thing done on a scale magnifique.

Two days before the performance was to take place, the
leading player. Major Geneste, was taken seriously ill,.
and in this dilemma the stage-manager, the Hon. F.
Thesiger, sent for me, requesting me to play Major
Geneste's character, Tom Noddy, in "Tom Noddy's
Secret." I undertook to play the part by the time ap«
pointed ; and before I slept that night I had learnt the
whole of the character, and could repeat it without my
part.

Now, if I was tender upon any subject in the world, it
was theatricals. I may have been conceited — indeed, I
know I was — whether or not, I knew that few could sur-
pass me in the personation and playing in any line of
character ; and, of course, I knew, excepting the original
cast, there was no one else who could personate this par-
ticular character like me, especially on so short a notice.

THEATEICALS IN EARNEST. 53

And, private soldier as I was, I expected some little cour-
tesy to be shown me, considering I was obliging them«
However, at the first rehearsal, which was at night, also
a dress one into the bargain, I was treated as if I
were a coolie, rather than one supplying the place of their
leading player. My costume was thrown to me, and I
was directed to dress behind the scenes instead of in the
green-room. Daring that long night not one individual
spoke to me except when compelled to address me in the
piece; and, although there was a supper laid, not a soul
asked me whether I wanted refreshments or not. I did
not care for drink, and never drank on the nights of play^
so I was careless as far as that went, but I certainly
liked to be asked. To mend the matter, I was for duty
the next morning, and the manager had undertaken to
get me relieved from this ; but I found in the morning
nothing of the sort had been done. I was so utterly
disgusted at perceiving I was simply being made a tool
of, that I wrote at once to the manager requesting him
to get another Tom Noddy, as I would not be one any
longer. This quickly brought a visit, and I then told
the manager my ideas on the subject : — that though but
a private soldier, during the time I was at the theatre
playing a leading character I considered myself on the
same footing as any member of the corps, no matter
what his rank might be ; the performance over, or out
of the theatre, I was simply a private, and they were
officers.

I remained obdurate in spite of the probable dis-
appointment of so fashionable an audience, and at this

54 SCEAPS FBOM MY SABEETASCHE.

late period I am afraid I showed some little malice in
my refusal to play. The colonel of my regiment, Colonel
Doherty, was applied to to coerce me to play; but on
hearing my tale, he took my view of the case, and said
he would have served them the same for a shabby lot of
fellows. I told him, however, if he wished it, or ordered
me to play, I would do it at either his wish or order.
" No," said he, " I will not influence you in any way. I
should have done the same myself had I been in your
place." " Then, sir," I replied, " if you don't order me,
I won't play "; and, careless whoever might have composed
the audience, I did not, and the performance could not
come off at the time appointed.

About a month after this a very similar case occurred.
Curiously enough, another leading player was taken sick
a day or two before the play. Eecourse was had to me
again, I being requested to take his character — that of
" Appleface " in the"Cat8paw" — and it was something
amusing to see the marked difference in their behaviour
to me. Everyone was polite, and I was constantly in-
vited to imbibe. I had a proper place to dress in — in
fact, nothing was too good for me. Knowing this was
but the effect of my former withdrawal at a critical
moment, I appreciated it for what it was worth. I could
not resist, however, occasionally displaying some of my
satirical wit at the expense of a little officer in the native
infantry who would make himself officious about me,
and who, having about five words to say, assumed all
the airs of a " star."

"But," said he, on one occasion, "yon are playing the

THEATRICALS IN EARNEST. 55

character of an infantry dmmmer, and you wear an
imperial. I thonght the cavalry were not allowed to
wear one?"

This was touching me in a tender place, for I had
surreptitiously nurtured the incipient budding of an
imperial, which under my careful management and
tender treatment had gradually developed.

" No," I replied, " we are not supposed to wear them,
but I like to be a little different from the infantry ;
and since they have taken to wearing the moustasche, I
indulge in an imperial."

«

Another time, at a dress rehearsal, he came up to
me and said :

" Why, your drummer's chevrons are bottom upwards ! "

" Are they ? " I remarked. " Well, you may under-
stand that sort of thing, but as I don't associate much
with foot-soldiers, I haven't the remotest idea which
way they ought to be."

These sallies would elicit roars of laughter from the
bystanders, and for a short time rather embarrass the
little • officer, who would, however, shortly after make
another attack, only to sustain another repulse. I must
say, though, that, deducting his consequential ways, he
was not a bad little fellow at bottom. To cut the
matter short, the play was a success, and I never after
had occasion to complain of want of politeness on the
part of the "gentlemen amateurs."

56 SCRAPS FBOM MY SABBETASCHE.

CHAPTER IX.

"l LOVE YOU."

" I LOVE you ! "

Someliow or other, I could not resist the impulse to
utter the above impassioned exclamation.

I had waylaid the fairy-like little being to whom I
addressed it on her road back from the Catholic Chapel,
and was escorting her part of the way home, as I often
used to do, meeting her always, of course, accidentally.

On this particular morning the sun shone so pleasantly,
the trees and flowers seemed to possess an additional
beauty, the air was redolent with fragrance, the very
birds seemed to be twittering " I love you " to each other,
and she looked so bewitching as she walked by my side,
that, for the life of me, I felt I had no alternative but
saying so too.

" I love you," I repeated ; for at first she seemed as
much '' taken aback " at hearing such an expression as I
was surprised at myself for giving utterance to it. How-
ever, having broken the ice, I followed up the attack by

"l LOVE YOU." 57

blurting out an incoherent string of nonsense all tending
the same way, when I was brought to a full stop by the
simple words " Mr. ! "

The mere utterance of those two words, or, rather, their
peculiar intonation, conveyed volumes of reproach. " Is
this your return for our kindness?" continued she,
drawing her little form up as majestically as a queen.
" Do you think my mother would have allowed you to
visit us if she thought you would have repaid her by
insulting her daughter? Gro ! " cried she, stamping her
little foot on the road. "Gro! and never come to our
place again ! "

Here was a pretty kettle of fish ! Entreaties for for-
giveness, and promises never to commit myself again, were
of no avail ; she was inexorable, and pursued her way
without condescending to notice a word that I said.

At last, in despair at moving her, I abruptly turned
away and strode ofE in the direction of my lines with
what feelings I will leave my readers to imagine, my own
impression being that I felt decidedly foolish and crest-
fallen — for that I did love her there was not the slightest
doubt, and that I had loved her for a long time was
equally true ; but to give the reader a better idea of the
circumstances which led to my avowal of love, and its
consequences, I must retrace my steps backwards for a
few months.

Mrs. Curran was a widow belonging to the 1st Europeans,
her husband having been a sergeant in that corps, but
having died, she became a sort of appendage to the regi-
ment till such time as she could either marry again or get

58 SCRAPS PROM MY SABRETASCHB.

her daughter married, and eBtablish herself in her son-in-
law's domicile.

As to the former, it was not a very probable con-
tingency, for few would like to be mated with such an
old harridan ; for, although not yet forty years of age, she
looked at least seventy* She was styled, by courtesy, a
half-caste, but the black half predominated to a fearful
extent, and she might safely have claimed affinity with
" the ace of spades," for . she was as black as one, and
as withered and wrinkled as a mummy.

Black, ugly, and wrinkled as the mother was, many a
young fellow tried to get into her good graces for the sake
of her daughter, who was just as plump and fair as her
mother was the reverse. To see them together no one
would for a moment imagine that they were mother and
daughter, so utterly different were they in every way.

"Rose — that was her name — ^was such a wilful, wicked,
conceited, pouting, laughing, bright-eyed little pet, that
one could not avoid falling in love with her ; for if she
annoyed you mischievously one moment, the next she
would " walk round you '* with her winning ways, that
there was no resisting her, you felt strongly tempted to-
seize hold of her and kiss her to death or run away
with her as a punishment — at least, I did.

Eose was betrothed to a sergeant of the regiment,
who was with it in Burmah on service. It was an under-
stood thing that she was to be married to him the
moment the regiment came off the campaign. Knowing
this, I was very guarded in my behaviour to her.

I had been for some months past in the habit of

tt

I LOVE YOU." 59

yisiting at her mother's house, and had been on very
friendly terms with Eose ; we had even written short
notes to each other on occasion of lending books, <&c.,.
but not a word of love had ever passed my lips till this
unfortunate morning.

Now, however, right or wrong, the ice was broken ; I
had told her I loved her, with what result the reader has
seen.

I reached my quarters and threw myself on my cot, a
prey to all sorts of conflicting feelings, cursing my
stupidity for being too precipitate, and thereby depriving
myself of her society altogether.

It must not be imagined that I had entered on such a
proceeding as the above without having had, in my own
mind, at least, some little encouragement from the girl
herself to almost warrant my making a declaration of love
to her with some prospect of success. I could recall
many actions on her part which convinced me that I was
not altogether distasteful to her ; that she even liked —
I will not say loved — me. The smile with which my
arrival was ever welcomed, the dropping of her eyes when
they encountered mine, and the gentle blush which
suffused her face at such times ; the pleasure she displayed
at everything I said or did, the enjoyment she seemed to
experience in my society ; the lingering of her hand in
mine at parting, accompanied, I could almost swear,
sometimes by a gentle pressure; a thousand little
nothings in themselves, imperceptible to others, to me
were evidences that I had but to tell her I loved her ta
be at once assured by her own lips that I was, in spite of

^0 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

betrothal to another, not indifferent to her. All these
pleasant dreams were now knocked on the head in a
moment, owing to my infernal stupidity in not waiting
for a proper time and place to tell her I loved her.

I would have given the world to have been able to
recall the events of the morning, and continue mj visits
to her quarters simplj as a friend, enjoying the pleasure
of her company daily, and keeping my love for her con-
fined to my own breast ; but this was all at an end for
ever through my blank stupidity.

During the course of the day, while thus brooding over
my sorrows, her ayah arrived bringing a note and a small
parcel of books I had lent her. Even she seemed to
sympathise with me, for the expression of her features
evidently betrayed that she thought there was something
wrong between her mistress and myself; indeed, she
hinted as much by a few soothing words, such as *' Missee
littee cross now, bime-by all brober, sahib. No makee
too much sorry." I took the letter without saying a word,
tore it open, and hastily read the contents, which ran
something like this : —

" Sib, — After what passed between us this morning, I
beg you will discontinue your visits to my place, as they
must be painful to both of us.

"I send you back the presents you have at various
times given me, also the books you lent me ; and if you
have anything of mine, please return it.

" I shall account to my mother in the best manner I
can for your absence, without mentioning anything of
what has occurred.

"l LOVE YOU.'' 61

" I did have a better opinion of you than to think you
would have behaved as you did, knowing how I am
situated ; but I was mistaken. I can hold out no longer.
I do love you, dearly, and T always have, from the first
moment I saw you. I ought to have avoided you, I know,
when I discovered that I did so, but I foolishly imagined
I could be constantly near you, and keep the knowledge
of my love to myself; or, if we were separated at any
time, that neither you nor anyone else would ever know
of it. Now I Icnow I could not, and I must tell you I
love you. I could have told you so a thousand times
before. Many times, when you, perhaps, have thought
I was careless and indifferent, I could have flung my
arms round your neck and told you how dearly I loved
you. Come again this evening as usual, as if those cruel
words of mine had never been uttered, as if you had j ust
said *I love you' and were waiting for a reply; and be
assured, reckless of betrothal, of all, my answer shall be^
both by my lips and every action of my life, the echo of
those dear words of yours, — * I love you.' "

62 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBETASCHE.

CHAPTER X.

DUMMY.

Hoo-hoo-hoo-oo-oo-0-0 !

Startled by such a diabolical jell, or rather series of
yells, Rose and I hastily looked up from our employment
to ascertain the cause of it, and beheld a fat old woman
frantically gesticulating at us ; beating her breast, kissing
her fingers, and going through a variety of pantomime
with her fingers and hands. The old woman was deaf
and dumb.

Rose and I had been comfortably seated at table,
pleasantly occupied in " making love under difficulties,"
by writing on slips of paper and passing them to each
other, as if they contained extracts from various poets,
when in reality we were making all sorts of vows of love
to each other under cover of that process.

The old lady, her mother, was busily plying her needle,
and as she was entirely innocent of any knowledge of
reading or writing, she would have remained in blissful
ignorance of our pleasant mode of passing the time, but
for the untimely arrival of the deaf and dumb woman, or,
as she was called, " the Dummy," Mrs. Macgaverin.

DUMMY. 63

Knowing her to be deaf and dumb, we naturally thought
she must also not be able to understand reading or writing.
We, therefore, pursued our interesting occupation utterly
indifferent whether " Dummy '* was there or not, till,
startled by her yelling, and seeing her antics, we began to
form some idea that it was just possible for a " dummy "
to read and also to tdl. This we soon found out to our
sorrow.

She had been intently watching us for some time, and
had seen enough to convince her that we were making
violent love to each other, right under the eyes of the
unsuspicious mother, without her knowledge or sanction,
and at once conceived it her duty to make the mother
acquainted with such a breach of confidence.

Mrs. Macgaverin rapidly manipulated her fingers, and
gave, no doubt, an eloquent account of our little game at
caligraphy, to the horror and anger of the mother of
'Rose, who, without more ado, ordered me out of the
place, with a very pressing desire that I would not fatigue
myself by again venturing there. Of course, I had no
alternative, and I retired from the scene of my poetical
effusions somewhat crest-fallen; as for Bose, finding
pleading was of no avail, she had recourse to tears, and
in that state I left her undergoing a lecture from her
indignant mother.

Being prohibited from seeing each other at the girl's
quarters, we naturally (however wronglj) endeavoured to
devise some expedient so that we might meet at other
places without the knowledge of her mother.

£ose, as I mentioned in the last chapter, had an ayahy

64 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHB.

and, seeing no other help for it, took this girl into her
confidence, and she assisted us materiallj bj being the
means of communication between us, bringing me two' or
three hillet'cUmx daily, and receiving a similar number
in return, which she faithfully conveyed to her young
mistress.

In this manner a plan was arranged so that I should at
least be able to see her daily. It was this : — the Catholic
priest was organising a choir of singers for his chapeU
and, being an energetic character, he managed to collect
many recruits from the different regiments stationed at
Meerut, and among them were upwards of a dozen women
and girls. Rose being a Catholic, I easily persuaded her
to become one of the singers — fully bent on being one
nayself eventually. I, therefore, obtained a prayer-book
from her, and at once set to work to learn the whole of
the Latin for the different services. This task, inspired
by love, I accomplished in a very few days.

My next plan was to get invited to join the singers;
for I, as a Protestant, could not reasonably go and ask to
be admitted among them as a singer only. I thought
this over for a long time ; at length I fancied I could see
mj way clear how it might be done, and I hastened to
put my plan into practice.

One evening I entered the chapel in plain clothes while
they were at practice, sat down in a prominent place close
by them, directly in front of the priest, and prepared to
listen to the singing, having at the same time an eye to
the success of my plan. All eyes were naturally turned
on me (those of Eose in particular), for they could tell I

DUMMr. 65

was not a regular visitant. The singing proceeded ; and,
of course, having but recently commenced practising,
there was occasionally a little discord, which I took care
to show I noticed by fid getting when it occurred. The
priest I observed was not slow in perceiving that I did
so, which was just the thing I wanted. I repeated this
process for several evenings, till the priest got quite into
the habit of looking towards me as if watching for my
approval or disapproval. In the meanwhile I was not
wasting my time, for, having a quick ear for music, I
learnt the tunes of the different hymns and chants very
rapidly ; but apparently taking no notice of Rose, nor
speaking to a soul there.

One evening, after they had practised for some time,
the priest came up to me and said, " Young man, I have
noticed that you have regularly attended our practices for
the last seven or eight evenings, and when there has been
any little discord, I could see by your manner that you
detected it. Perhaps, as you seem to take such an
interest in our singing, you might be induced to join us,
and give us the advantage of your voice as well as your
presence."

I told him that having accidentally passed the chapel
while the singing was going on one evening, I had entered
out of curiosity, attracted by the music ; since then I had
attended purely from the pleasure of listening to it. I
added, I should be most happy to assist, but I was afraid
there was an in superable objection to it — in fact, that I
was a Protestant.

" Don't let that be an obstacle," he replied, " anything

5

66 SCRAPS FROM MY 8ABBETASCUE.

in such a cause, no matter whether it comes from a
Protestant or Catholic, will be acceptable."

"At that rate," I answered, " I shall be most happy to
assist."

He, having first ascertained I could sing a second, but
little thinking I knew every note and word of the service,
requested me to accompany him in the Lucis Creator
Optime. First glancing my eye to where Eose sat, to give
me confidence, and to let her see that it should not be my
fault if my plan did not succeed, I sang my best, and
acquitted myself so creditably, that the priest expressed
himself highly delighted with my singing, and con-
gratulated himself on the acquisition my voice would be
to the choir, having no suspicion what a wolf in sheep's
-clothing he was turning loose into his fold.

I was henceforth installed as one of the singers, and
passed many pleasant hours among them, always managing
io be near Bose, and seeing her to the " lines " in which
her mother's quarters were, every evening. This agree-
iible state of things did not last many weeks, for it,
unfortunately, came to her mother's ears, and Eose was
not allowed to go to the chapel any more unless accom-
panied by the old lady. I was thus deprived of my
pleasant evenings, the choir of a voice, and Eose of my
escort back every evening.

Our next plan for meeting was as follows : — Eose, at
my instigation, pretended sickness, and was sent to the
hospital, and I made the acquaintance of a motherly
old lady of the 81st Foot, to whom I related my love for
the girl, begging her assistance so far as to allow me

DUMMY. 67

to keep a woman's outfit in her quarters so that I might
be able to disguise myself there, and from thence sally
forth, as a female, and visit I^se in hospital.

The old lady, after hearing my story, hugged me
round the neck, and exclaimed, ''I wish I was a girl
and you were running after me, you shouldn't have to
run far, nor disguise yourself neither, for I'd run after
you, in spite of all the mothers in the world." Of
course, I felt flattered.

She ga^e the required permission at once, fitted up
nails for me to hang my female fixings on, and every
evening, with the sanction of her husband, who used to
look on admiringly when I was fully equipped as a
lady, she assisted me in dressing, gave nie a hearty kiss
and a blessing, and sent me out on my adventures.

There were several women in the hospital as well as
Eose, but confident in my disguise and thorough know-
ledge of the " business " required of me as a female —
for which I must thank my theatrical training — ^I fear-
lessly ventured among them, freely gossiping with
them, when circumstances compelled me, often sitting
with three or four of them on the bed, chatting on various
subjects, without so much as their entertaining the
slightest suspicion but that I was a bond fide woman
belonging to another regiment.* This, however, lasted

* This was easily managed ; the lines occupied by the depdt of the
Ist Europeans were also occupied by the depdt of the 18th Royal
Irish, the 81st Foot, and some Artillery. The women's hospital I
xillude to was for the women and children of the above corps only.
The lines of the 14th were about a mile distant ; the women of the

5*

68 SCRAPS FfiOM MY SABBETASCHE.

only for about a fortnight, for the doctor discharged her
from the hospital as recovered, he, perhaps, by this time
finding out there was really nothing the matter with her„
or she not being able to " scheme "* any longer.

A variety of plans were arranged after this, and I used
to go in all sorts of disguises to snatch a few moments in
her company of an evening.f But all our schemes of
happiness were abruptly put a stop to by a sudden order
for the depot of the Ist Europeans to proceed at once to
Dinapore to join the regiment, which had already left
Burmah and was en route for that place.

14th had their own hospital. I could, therefore, pass myself off easily
as a woman of the latter, and, knowing every woman in the regiment,
could readily answer any question that might be put to me on any
subject without danger of being discovered. I have mixed with the
women under more peculiar circumstances still, and never — fortu-
nately for me — was even suspected.

* Pretend sickness.

t It may not be amiss here to show what power priests wield over
their flocks. I used often to go in disguise to the chapel, among other
places, and was undetected invariably ; but for some reason or other
Rose went to confession one Saturday afternoon, and, of course, made
a clean breast of it. In the evening I met her, and, to my surprise, was
received very coolly. I could plainly perceive she had been influenced
against me by some one ; but all my inquiries failed to elicit satisfac-
toiy replies, till, it suddenly stiiking me it was Saturday — confession
day — I taxed her with having been to confession, and that the priest
had caused this change in her demeanour. After some few struggles
she told me she had been to confession, and that the priest had
refused her absolution. She was to have no correspondence with me
in any shape or foi*m, and come back at the end of a week and confess
again, when the priest would, if he thought her deserving of it, give
her absolution. It may easily be conceived by this, how they may
influence females for either good or bad purposes. Often the latter,.
as I have had oppoi-tunities of knowing.

DUMMY. 69

I will not attempt to describe our separation ; it was
painful on both sides ; nor should she have gone, for I
would have risked everything, but that my regiment was
also under orders to march to Bombay, and from theuce
proceed to the Crimea, so that there was no help for it.

I never saw her afterwards ; but on arriving at Kirkee,
I received a letter from her, saying she was now free, her
betrothed being dead; giving me some account of his
death, which occurred under peculiar circumstances, which
I may as well relate.

It seems the depot from Meerut, in which 'Rose was
proceeding to Dinapore, and the regiment from Burmah,
in which was her betrothed, also proceeding thither, were
each one day's distance from Dinapore in opposite direc-
tions, and must consequently meet the next day. The
young man was somewhat of a sportsman, and seeing an
alligator in the river, a short distance from the steamer,
he got his gun and fired at it. In doing so, he over-
reached himself and tumbled into the water, and the
probability is that he became food for the monster he had
intended to shoot, for he never rose again, while the
alligator was seen to dive under as if in pursuit of a
meal. This accident left Eose free, in consequence of
which she at once wrote to me, thinking now all obstacles
were removed to our union.

I'illed with hope at such a bright prospect, I wrote ofiE
at once, telling her that our departure for the Cr imea was
countermanded, the war having come to a close ; that I
should only be too happy to make her mine now that all
obstacles were removed, and would send for her as soon as

70 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABRETASOHE.

I received an answer from her, letting me know how
I could best manage it, and that I would apply for
permission at once.

I waited anxiously, but no answer came. I wrote againi
and again till I was nearly distracted, but with the same
result. At length, concluding that she had thrown me
aside for some more favoured individual, I gave way to
despair, and discontinued writing.

Soon after I heard from other sources that she was
married to the regimental sergeant-major of the 1st
Europeans. This, of course, settled all my hopes with a
vengeance, and I resolutely tried to forget her, though, I
am afraid, with but poor success.

I heard no more about her till four years after. I was
then with my regiment in front of Gwalior, having in the
interval gone through three years of hardships in the
shape of marching, fighting, and what not; enough to
make me forget there was such a word as love, to say
nothing of the object of it. I was sitting in my tent one
day when a letter came directed to me in her well-known
handwriting. If there is such a thing as knocking one
down with a straw, that operation might easily have been
performed on me at that moment, for I felt ready to drop.
I was afraid to open it in the tent, for I was so overcome
with the sight of her handwriting, that I thought I had
better go away by myself to read the contents for fear I
should betray myself before the men. I, therefore,,
strolled out of camp, and sitting down on a bank, tore-
open the letter with a beating heart and devoured its-
contents.

DUMMY. 71

It was written from Roorkee, where the 1st Europeans
were stationed, and sketched all that happened from the
time I left her. She had but recently discovered that
her mother had intercepted all my letters to her, and
likewise those written by Eose to me, with the exception
of the first one, which, as she knew nothing of it, she could
not intercept. The poor girl had consequently arrived at
a similar conclusion to mine — that I had forgotten her,
or thrown her aside for some one else ; she had, therefore,
in despair, accepted the first eligible offer, and married
the regimental sergeant-major, with whom she led a most
wretched life. She wound up with incoherent expressions
of unaltered love to me ; that she would — regardless of
her marriage ties — leave her husband and find her way to
me, if 1 still entertained the same feelings for her, and
would receive one so guilty as she.

Here was a pretty fix to be in ! I found that I still
loved her as much as ever. That letter had stirred up
every half- dormant feeling of my heart, and I felt as if
we had not been separated a day. But had I wished it
ever so, how could she come to me through a country
swarming with rebels? Or, if she even succeeded in
reaching me, it was not very probable she would be allowed
to remain, which would make things ten times more
desperate. I, therefore, wrote a hurried reply, that I
loved her as dearly as ever, but entreated her, if not for
her own, for my sake, to bear as well as she could her
present unhappy life, and on no account to leave her
husband, or endeavour to join me ; explaining, as well as
I could, its utter impossibility. I concluded by bidding

72 SCRAPS FBOH MT SABBETASCHE.

lier hope for happier tdmes, when the war was over, and
we were once more in qoarters, when, if she still held
to her determination, I would gladly receive her, and
endeavour bj mj love to efface all remembrance of her
present unhappiness.

I never had another letter from her, from what cause
I never could ascertain, and, of course, I could Dot write
for fear of committing her, in case the letter should fall
into her husband*s hands. A few months after the
Mutiny was suppressed we were ordered down to Bombay,
and shortly afterwards my regiment was ordered to
England, and I accompanied it.

Two years after I arrived home I left the service.
One day I accidentally encountered a man who had for-
merly belonged to the 1st Europeans ; on getting into
conversation with him, I found out a little more about
Bose. It seems her husband led her an awful life, for
he was perpetually taunting his wife with her former
intimacy with me — some kindly-disposed person having
made him acquainted with it probably — or, perhaps, he
had become possessed of my letter. Be that as it may,
he was constantly taunting her about me. One day he
had done so beyond her powers of endurance, when she
in her passion suddenly seized a knife and stabbed him.
Whether he died from the efEects of the wound, or what
became of her afterwards, the man could not tell me ; for
he was on the eve of leaving the regiment when it
occurred.

Poor girl! I have never heard a sentence about her
from that day to this ; but though twenty years have

i

DUMMV. 73

passed since I told her I loved her, I often feel sad
even now when I think of her unhappy life and probable
fate.

And this tragic termination to our pleasant though
stealthy love-making, was brought about through that
infernal old Dummy's Hoo-hoo-hoo-oo-oo-o-o !

74 SCEAPS FEOM MY SABEETASOHE.

CHAPTER XI.

THE MAEOH TO KIEKEE.

At this time the British were at war with Eussia ; and,,
to our great joy, we were ordered to hold ourselves in
readiness to proceed to Bombay for the purpose of joining^
the forces in the Crimea, by the overland route.

We hastily disposed of our superfluous kits and the

various sundries which had accumulated during our long

stay at Meerut — for some of us had enough clothing and

other et-ceteras to break the back of an elephant — and

reduced them to regimental dimensions.

In a few days the order to march came, and off we
started, in high feather at the chance of having a go in,
the band of the 81 st playing us out of the station ; the
men of the different regiments stationed at Meerut, no
doubt, envying our prospect of soon getting into the
thick of honour and glory.

We were not destined to get away so easily, however,,
for at Hauper, a place where the well-known stud is.

THE MAECH TO KIRKEE. /5

kept, the second day's march from Meerut, a courier
came in, miounted on an express camel*; he was the
bearer of orders from head-quarters for us to return to
that station, which we did, to our intense disgust and
annoyance.

Having disposed of all the fixings which made the
barracks look habitable, we found on our return the rooms
empty -looking and desolate ; the very appearance of them,
together with our disappointment, made us feel anything
but cheerful. There was no help for it, however, and we
put the best face on the matter we could. Shortly after,
owing, I believe, to some representations made to head-
quarters, we were again ordered off, and this time with
better success.

This being my first march with the regiment, everything
for the first few days wore a novel appearance, altogether
different from my marching up the country as a recruit.
There we had mostly bullock-hackeries to carry our tents
and baggage ; here, we had elephants and camels, and it
was astonishing to see how expert the men were in loading
them. By-the-bye, I had always heard and read of the
patience of the camel, but a more impatient and can-
tankerous animal I would not wish to see ; apparently
taking a grim delight in throwing all sorts of obstacles in
the way of loading, by snapping at the loaders, or trying
to struggle up and shake off its load just at the ticklish
moment when the wretch knew the final knot was to be

* Some of these camels are said to travel as much as 350 miles in
one day, and to continne this for several days in succession.

76 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBErASCHK.

tied, which would render all secure *; often succeeding, too,
to the annoyance of the men, who would have all the
work to do over again, while the offending camel would
wohhle out his intestines (I always put this down as his
peculiar way of expressing his glee), as if he enjoyed the
^xtra trouble he caused them.

I could not but admire the regularity with which a
camp was laid out, and the rapidity with which the tents
were pitched, causing what had a few minutes before been
only a waste bit of ground, or a corn-field, to assume the
appearance of a tented city, it baing laid out in streets
according to the troops. Thus, the regiment consisting
of eight troops, there were eight rows of tents; space
being left between the rows of tents for the " horse lines,"
that is, two rows of horses with a pathway between ; each
row of tents, or troop of men, having two rows of horses ;
the horses being picketed opposite the tents to which
their respective owners or riders belonged.

In the centre of the camp was the main street — a wide
space having four troops, with their horse lines on either
side. Exactly in front of this street, and at some little
distance, was the main-guard tent, and that of the
regimental sergeant-major; facing these, at the other or
rear-end of the street, was the officers' mess-tent, &c. The
officers* tents and hospital tents were in rear of the tents
of the men, and behind all was the rear-guard tent. Of

* Long experience had taught the men that, if they wished the
baggage to be brought in expeditiously and safely, the best way was
to fasten it on securely themselves, repudiating native assistance
altogether.

THE MARCH TO KIEKEE. 77

the camp-followers, and they were very numerous, some
slept in the horse lines, or under the lee of tents, &c., but
the greater portion lived a short distance from the camp.
There was also a large bazaar with the regiment ; its
long street of small tents, with the wares of various kinds
temptingly displayed in front of each of them, was
pitched at a convenient distance, and reminded one
greatly of the stalls in a fair ; and it certainly must have
been a great convenience, not only to the natives, but to
many of the men ; for almost anything required by them
on the road was to be obtained in the bazaar, and which
could not possibly have been got but for it.

We used to start at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning,,
according to the length of the march, so as to get to the
next camping-ground before the sun was very high. The
first blast of the trumpet which roused us was the signal
for a general hubbub. In a moment such a din arose as
it would be impossible to describe ; hundreds of fires
were lighted, throwing a lurid glare on all around, in the
midst of which were seen tents falling, and men, horses,.
camels, and elephants apparently in the most inextricable
confusion. This was heightened by the shouts of the
men, the neighing and snorting of horses, the trumpeting
of elephants, the guttural growling of camels, and a
hundred other indescribable sounds, making the camp
for a time appear a perfect pandemonium. A very short
time, however, sufficed to reduce all this confusion to-
something like order ; the tents were struck and packed,.
the animals loaded, the horses saddled and bridled, each
man standing by the head of his horse, waiting for the

78 SCRAPS FBOM MY SABEETASCHE.

sound to mount, when we silently filed out of the lines,
** fell in," were " told off," and on the road in no time ;
seeing, while this went on, strings of loaded elephants and
camels noiselessly gliding off into the darkness like so
many phantoms. A glance behind, as we were leaving
what had been our camp, would show us the fires still
burning, with the camp-followers, who had not yet
" cleared out," running hither and thither among the
fires, and appearing in the distance like so many
demons.

It is needless to describe the incidents of the road, or
enumerate the places of note we passed, among which may
be reckoned the celebrated Taj at Agra, and the fort at
Owalior ; suffice it to say that, after a long but pleasant
march through all sorts of wild and beautiful scenery,
we at length reached Kirkee, a cavalry station about five
miles distant from Poena, in the Bombay Presidency.

79

CHAPTER XII.

THE BULL PUP.

We had no sooner arrived at Kii'kee than we received
intimation that the orders to proceed to the Crimea were
countermanded; so that oar long joumej counted for
nothing more than a shift of quarters, besides knocking
up the horses, many of which were condemned as worn
out and unfit for service. As soon as possible, therefore,
those whose horses were cast were remounted on young
horses, the breaking-in of which occupied them fully for
some months.

In the meantime, as I always had an eye to all sorts
of amusements to beguile our leisure hours, I had not
been idle, but had looked out a suitable building for a
theatre, and soon transformed it into a very comfortable
little place. The finances of the theatrical company being
in a somewhat shaky condition, through the mismanage-
ment and extravagance of a former manager, I was elected
stage-manager, and empowered by the Colonel to do what
I thought necessary to get the company out of debt. I

80 SCRAPS FfiOM MY SABEETASCHE.

was even struck off duty so that I might devote my whole
time to this purpose, and I was, after a few months, able
to clear off old debts and issue dividends to the members
according to their rank, a thing that had never been
heard of before among them ; so that I got credit, not
only as a player and manager, but as a first-class financier.
I likewise started dances in the regiment again, and was
rewarded by the gratitude of all the women of the regi-
ment — the young ones in particular. These and other
amusements caused the time to slip away very pleasantly,
in spite of our disappointment about not being sent to
the Crimea.

My position as stage-manager, master of the ceremonies^
and the being recognised as a bit of a poet as well, made me
a great favourite with the girls of the regiment; and, I
believe, not one of them would have refused an offer of
marriage from me. I am afraid, on looking back after
this lapse of time, that I must have been abominably
conceited — an egregious fop, and something of a man-
flirt as well ; but whatever I was, I am bound in honesty
not to hide my failings, or make myself appear more
virtuous than I really was, and I '11 make no attempt at
doing so. I, therefore, frankly admit, right or wrong,
that I felt not the slightest compunction in writing
amatory poetical effusions, or making violent love to
half-a-dozen different girls at the same time.

Among the girls of the regiment was one known by
the soubriquet of the " Bull Pup." I forbear to mention
her real name, but many will remember her by that name
even now. She could not have been above fifteen, and,

THE BULL PUP. 81

altboagli she was remarkably plain — ^haying a roand " full
moon " face, large mouth, and a snub, or rather reirotissS
nose, which got her the cognomen of the " Bull Pup *' —
jet she had beautiful hair, bright eyes, a soft voice, and
was a well- shaped graceful girl, being withal an excellent
singer and dancer. She was, therefore, if you could look
over her face, what I should call a nice little lovable girl ;
somewhat gushing, but that is often pleasant, especially
when the gushing has a tendency to flow in your direction.
She was, also, a great admirer of my verses, which, perhaps,
caused me to feel a greater interest in her than I other-
wise should.

I first got into favour with her by soothing her girlish
feelings, which had been deeply hurt by being slighted
at one of the dances. Her mother — as some mothers
absurdly do — indulged the foolish notion of keeping the
girl, although she was quite womanly in her development,
in clothes ridiculously short ; and the girl felt this keenly,
the more so because, owing to this, she knew that she was
looked upon as a little chit of a girl, while she felt that
she was in reality a woman ; and this peculiar costume
affected her so greatly, that, much as she liked dancing,
she could hardly get a partner while any of the more
womanly-dressed girls were disengaged.

One night a young sergeant, seeing all the ladies had
partners except the ** Bull Pup," requested her to " stand
np" with him, which, of course, she readily agreed to,
especially as he was a good-looking young fellow. He was
about to lead her out, when a woman of the regiment whom
he knew entered. He, without scruple, at once deliberately

6

82 SCRAPS FROM MT SABRETASCHE.

left the girl, walked over to the woman, and engaged her
instead, leading her off regardless of what the girl might
think of his conduct. This natorallj hurt the poor girl's
feelings very much, and she sat down on a seat, pouting,
and looking as if she felt yerj much disposed to hare a
good cry. Seeing her sit thus, I went to her, and said,
"Have you no partner?" "No," she replied, half-
sobbing ; " Sergeant Mayhew did engage me, but, seeing
Mrs. Eames come in, he left me and engaged Aer, because
she was a woman, I suppose, and I am only a girl in
short dresses."

I at once offered my services, which she gratefully
accepted; that is, if I could judge by the look of her
eyes. Shortly after, I rebuked the sergeant, in her pre-
sence, for his want of politeness, which seemed to gratify
her very much, for she looked as if she thought I was
quite a champion. My manner towards her gave her such
confidence that she did not hesitate to innocently ask me
to stand up with her next time, and to always dance with
her. I explained the impossibility of doing the latter,
but I did dance the next time with her, and several more
dances during the evening, and I could plainly see I had
quite won the heart of the little "Bull Pup " by my
unlooked-for kindness.

Although she was very plain, she had several eligible
offers — ^the particulars of which she used to confide to me,
so that I considered myself in the light of her confidential
friend and adviser ; but she declined them all, perhaps
thinking I should eventually propose for her ; for we had
certainly become very affectionate, she thinking nothing

THE BULL POP. 83

•of allowing me to kiss her. She would even steal out of an
•evening to meet me, and on receipt of a few verses would
throw her arms round mj neck and outpaj them with
kisses.

One evening, we had snatched a hurried meeting,
and were bidding each other an affectionate farewell —
our faces being in unaccountably close proximity — when,
through the gloom, we fancied we saw pass the form
of one of the rejected suitors of the girl — ^a. corporal of
her own troop. Uncertain whether he had observed us
or not, she hastened into her house, and I speedilj
•evaporated in a contrary direction.

In the morning there were floating rumours about that
the " Bull Pup " had been seen overnight kissing a miin
near her house. These rumours in the course of time
xeached her mother's ears, and she taxed her daughter
with the monstrous crime of surreptitiously kissing some
•one, and insisted on knowing who the individual was«
The girl stoutly denied the imputation, protested it was
& calumny invented by some evil-disposed pdrson who
would probably have liked to have undergone that opera-
tion himself ; reminding her mother that on the particular
•evening in question she sat with her sewing and never
once quitted her side, so how could it possibly have taken
place?

The mother determined to fathom this mystery to the
bottom, so she set to work to find out who first promul-
gated in the regiment such vile -slander concerning her
daughter, and after some trouble succeeded in finding
•out the originator of it, who, proving to be a rejected

6«

84 SCRAPS F£OM MY SABBETASOHE.

suitor, she gave bim the credit, in her o?m mind, of circu-
lating the scandal out of revenge. The old lady was
in such a way about it that she declared she would horse-
whip him herself, and at once proceeded to put her threat
into execution. She sought him out and commenced
laying into him lustily with the whip, which, of course,
the surp^;ised corporal did not submit to long, for he
easily took the whip from the enraged mother. The case
was brought before the captain of the troop, and he,
hearing the particulars, also concluded that the corporal
had spread the report out of malice; he therefore gave
him a severe lecturing, and after mildly rebuking the
old lady for resorting to violent measures by taking the
law into her own hands in vindication of her daughter's
character, dismissed the case. The corporal thus got
the credit of being a revengeful discarded lover ; the
mother was held to be one that would " stick up " for her
daughter's reputation ; and the daughter was esteemed
a much maligned and ill-used girl, and gained the
sympathy of all the other girls of the regiment.

We had many a laugh afterwards over the adventure,,
but were very careful to confine the real facts of the case
to ourselves, so that they never oozed out. As for the
corporal, so much was his conduct reprobated by every- .
one that in time, I believe, he thought he must have been
mistaken, and that he really was the unprincipled and
vindictive individual he was currently represented to be.

While I am at it, I may just as well relate another
curious incident, which, although it did not take place
just in the order I here put it, will not inappropriately

THE BULL PUP. 8S

' close this chapter. I relate it onlj as showing a queer
side of human nature, and that the awful and the comical
maj be blended together. The reader must not suppose,
either, that I was serious in my portion of the incident.

The *' Bull Pup " had a married sister much older than
herself, with whom I was on verj friendly terms, often
Tisiting her at her husband's quarters, and was treated
•both by herself and her husband with marked kindness.

One day the husband of this sister took it into his head
to quit this mortal sphere, leaving his disconsolate widow
to mourn his loss. Nearly all the married people and
their families attended the funeral, and I, though not
married, politely escorted two young ladies of the regi-
ment there, so that I was equivalent to a married man
and family.

I must confess I was somewhat shocked at the levity
of these girls, for the whole of their conversation, during
our progress to the cemetery, and when one ought naturally
to have had serious thoughts, was about plays, dances,
novels, new dresses, and a variety of other inappropriate
funereal topics. This made me begin to think of the widow,
and wonder what her ideas on things in general might be ;
whether she might not at the present moment be revolv-
ing all sorts of plans in her own mind as to what she will
do now she is again free, and who she has got her eye on
for a second. Having a dim recollection that I had heard
some peculiar tales of the rapidity with which widows
can forget their defunct lords, I determined, if possible,
to test this one on the road back from the cemetery, as to
4Jie likelihood of her remaining long in that lonely state.

86 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBETASCHE.

When the funeral obsequies were over, therefore, I
gradually edged near to the widow, who was disconso-
lately looking on whilst the men were filling up the-
grave ; and when the last shovelful of mould was placed
on his grave, and she was in the act of tearing herself
away from so melancholy a sight, I demurely offered her
my arm to conduct her away from the hallowed spot,
and take her to her now solitary home. She as demurely
took my arm as I had offered it, and we proceeded home-
wards. Not a word broke the silence for some time, not
a sound but her suppressed sobbing, till at last I thought
if I wanted to carry out my plan I must commence at
once. I, therefore, in a soothing voice, intimated that she
should not give way to unavailing grief, but rather think
how she might forget her bereavement as soon as possible.
" In fact," I continued, " I sought the opportunity of
escorting you home so that I might speak to you on a
subject nearest my heart — to offer my services — a — in
endeavouring to soothe your natural grief — and — a — ^you
know — at least, I always fancied you perceived — you
must — that I — I — always had a — a — sincere regard for
you. Let me then — that is — consider me as your devoted
admirer — your lover, and I will hope, eventually, your —
a — ^husband."

" Oh, Mr. ! " exclaimed she, "I am so sorry ! Yes,

I always did think you a veiy nice young man. But —
Sergeant Wiggings spoke to me on this subject coming
dowUy and I have accepted him."

Coming down! Accepted him! This reply knocked
me out of time altogether. I thought I was going to be^

THE BULL PUP. 8T

remarkably smart in catching her coming from the ceme-
tery ; hnt here was one sharp enongh to catch her going
io the cemetery, propose for her, be accepted, and all this
done nnder the very nose, or rather behind the body, of
her defunct husband on his last journey to his final rest-
ing place.

The old soldier, when in a moralising mood, would
remark, " Women are strange animals." After seeing the
widow home, I went off home myself, and moralised in a
similar strain.

88 SCRAPS FBOM MY 8ABBBTAS0HK.

CHAPTER Xni.

THE TABLES TURNED.

As I mentioned in a previous chapter, I was elected
stage-manager of the theatrical corps belonging to the
regiment ; this election was ratified by the Colonel, and
I was empowered by him, through the Adjutant, to do
what I thought necessary to get the company out of
debt.

My first proceeding was naturally to curtail the ex-
penses as much as I possibly could ; this I did by closely
mspecting all bills, and ascertaining whether the articles
mentioned in them had been really used or not *; never
allowing anything to be sent for by the workmen without
an order from me ; I taking care to know first that they
really wanted it, and what they wanted it for. Then I
cut off such extravagances as suppers after performances

* Under former managements, it was a common thing if a workman
wanted a few rupees, to go to the purveyor, get the rupees, and tell
him to put it in the bill as so many yards of cloth, pounds of paint, &c.
It is needless to say the shopkeeper did not lose by this, but that
we did.

THE TABLES TURNED. 89

were over, as not being a legitimate way of expending
theatrical funds, and tending only to demoralise the
members of the company by setting them '' on the spree "
after each performance, thus getting the body of amateurs
a bad name.

By pursuing this system — ^though at first I incurred a
•certain amount of odium, as being a bit of a tyrant, and a
nip-cheese to boot — ^in the long run the whole of them
found it was for their own good, and as our debt
-decreased, their dividends and my popularity increased in
ratio, till, finally, the wisdom of my proceedings was
fully recognised by all hands.

I must here relate a trifling but amusing incident which
occurred at the commencement of my reign, to show what
opposition — I had almost said mutiny — ^I had to encounter.
Among other expenses incidental to the theatre was that
of the band for the orchestra. These men, numbering
about twenty, belonged to the regimental band, and were
allowed certain pay and refreshment every night of a
performance, whether their services were required to play
in a piece or not ; and they had a very easy and pleasant
time of it, often having nothing to do but look on,
-<K)nsequently they were able to enjoy the performance,
with the additional gratification of receiving pay for it
-as well.

But these men, knowing the difficulties under which I

laboured in my efforts to get the company out of debt,

and being themselves, at present, the only ones who

received payment for their services, fancying — as they

•<could not be dispensed with — ^any terms they chose to

90 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABRETASCHB.

make must necessarilj be complied with, demanded an
increase of paj ; threatening, if their demand was not
acceded to, to refuse to play the music required in the
pieces ; in other words, to strike for higher wages.

Annoyed by their ingratitude and want of consideration,
I resolutely refused to give them an increase till such
time as we were fairly out of debt. No more was said
on the subject ; but shortly after, a performance was to
take place, in which it was announced I was to sing a
comic song between the pieces. I went to the bandmaster,
arranged the accompaniment with him, and everything
was apparently progressing all right.

However, the day before the play was to take place,
one of the bandsmen came and informed me that his
comrades intended to spoil my song by playing a wrong
accompaniment, which would naturally throw me out, and
probably cause me to break down. Thanking the man
for his kindness, I immediately made arrangements to
neutralise or counteract this conspiracy.

The song I was to sing was "Vilkins and his
Dinah"; and I was supposed to carry a clarionet under
my arm while singing it. I at once set to work steadily
to master the tune on the instrument, which I, after
much practice, succeeded in too-too-ing off to admiration.
Confident now, I did not care what they played, as I
could play the air of my song after they had finished
whatever they intended playing, and give myself the^
key-note.

The performance took place the next night ; everything
went off successfully, till I appeared on the stage to sing

THE TABLES TUBNED. 91

my soBg, when, instead of the band playing " Vilkins and
his Dinah," they struck up the " College Hornpipe." I
was quite prepared for the occasion, but waited patiently
till they had finished, when I publicly reprimanded them
for their scandalous behayiour, and told them it was
fortunate I was not left entirely at their mercy, for that I
could do without their assistance. I, forthwith, too-too-ed
the tune out on the clarionet, sang the first verse, and
then called on the gallery to join in the chorus ; I need
not say they cheerfully responded and lustily joined in.
I then too-too-ed the air over on the clarionet, repeating
the same process at each verse till the finish, when there
was a perfect storm of applause, and I had to sing it
again; so that the trick the band thought to play me
turned out to their discredit and to my triumph.

Some of the officers came behind the scenes to ascertain
the cause of such an unwonted proceeding; among the
rest was the Adjutant, to whom I related the origin of
the affair. He was much annoyed at their behaviour,
and mentioned it to the Colonel, who was also so much
disgusted at it, that, when the performance was over,
several of the ringleaders found themselves politely
escorted to the guard-room.

The next morning they were brought before the Colonel
soundly rated by him for their conduct, and various terms
of " kit-drill " were fairly divided amongst them to teach
them better in future. Henceforth, I was ordered never
to pay them anything at all, as they were struck off duty
expressly to play for the amusement of the regiment. I
followed out the Colonel's instructions to the letter ; their

'92 8CKAPS F£OM MY SABBETASGHE.

avaricioasness thus in the end greatly benefiting the funds
•of the theatre.

I could here relate many amusing incidents connected
with theatricals, but will refrain from doing so, lest the
reader should get surfeited with having too much of
the subject; I shall, therefore, dismiss that topic, and
proceed to jot down scraps of personal adventure, amus-
ing or otherwise, till I can lead him or her on to scenes
(more in tuiison with the real life of a soldier in India.

93

CHAPTER XIV.

SCRATCH-CBADLE.

By way of keeping my mind thoroughly occupied, I must
needs get into a " hank " with a girl of the regiment named
Annie Holt. 1 knew I was not really in love with her,
but chose to fancy myself so, or, I suppose, the weak
points of my nature were flattered up to that pitch by
the evident partiality she showed for me, on the principle
that love begets love, even if the begotten love is of
an inferior quality to that which begets it.

Thinking this a capital way of forgetting Eose, and
testing on scientific grounds the advantages to be derived
from a counter irritant, after preliminary love-makings, in
the shape of squeezes of the hand, sly glances, whispered
soft nothings, <&c., at the different places in which I met
her, I came to the conclusion that I would go to work
this time in a legitimate manner ; march ofE to her
mother, tell her the state of the case, and request her
to allow me to call at the house occasionally, so that
I might have better opportunities of seeing and making

94 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

myself agreeable to the daughter under the mother's
x>wn immediate supervision and with her sanction.

All this I thought I could do without actually ''popping
the question " till I saw how things were situated.

Full of this idea, I crossed over to the patcherie* one
morning, and knocked at the door, not with a beating
heart, which was a convincing proof in mj own mind
that I was not very far gone in love.

The mother opened the door herself, and without
expressing the least surprise, after the usual morning
salutations, she said " Come in, I 've been expecting for
a long time that you would call. Annie has told me all
about it."

Here was a start! I was anticipated; I had been
expected ! The daughter, like a good girl, had dutifully
told her mother '' all about it." All the little episodes
that had passed between us had already been discussed,
much to my regret and annoyance, thereby depriving
me of an excellent opportunity of making use of some
very flowery language I had composed expressly for the
present occasion.

I went into the house, under these altered circumstances,
and managed to tell the old lady that I had seen her
daughter a good deal latterly, admired her very much,
xind had reason to believe I was not altogether distasteful
to her, that I wished she would allow me to visit her
here, so that I might have a better opportunity of

* Detached bungalows on both flanks of the r^ment, where
married people resided ; each married man with his family occupying
« separate bungalow.

SOBATCH-CRADLE. 95

caltivatiDg her acquaintance than I could by casually
meeting her at parties, and I had too high an opinion of
her daughter to attempt to meet her by stealth.

The old lady quite approved of my conduct in coming
to her first in such an honourable manner, her daughter
— she didn't mind telling me — was a good girl, and had
told her she liked me very much, but then, she was
young, we were both young, and either or both of us
might alter our minds ; she, herself, had not the ^ilightest
objection — in fact, she thought it a very good match —
her daughter would not come empty-handed, but that
she must first consult her husband, and would I call
again in the evening at 7, when she would let me
know the result of her conversation with her husband.
She was sure he would have no objection — oh dear no !
but then it was only proper to speak to him first. " I
shall not let Annie know anything about it till I hear
what her father says," continued she, conducting me to
the door ; " poor girl ! she will be delighted, and — good-
morning, I shall expect to see you about 7."

Not a bad beginning, I thought, as I wended my way
back to my barrack-room. The girl was considered quite
a catch in the regiment, her father being Orderly-Room
Clerk, and a Sergeant-Major to boot; the mother was
known to be a very careful woman, and it was rumoured
that she was in possession of a pretty long stocking.
Neither of these things, however, had any influence with
me, for I was neither ambitious nor mercenary, and, on
the other hand, I thought myself rather an eligible
character. I was only a private, to be sure, but then I

96 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABfiETASCHK.

could have worn the stripes bad I chosen; but I was-
better off without them, and had declined them, as
everyone knew, several times. I was, moreover, young,
passably good-looking, to say nothing of my various
accomplishments; in fact, any girl of the regiment
would have " jumped at me " for a husband.

Annie, on her side, was young, as her mother had truly
said, being only fifteen ; she was also very good-looking^
and graceful — I think I had better dispense with any
elaborate description of her personal charms, suffice it to
say she would pass muster anywhere. The most attractive
thing about her was her hair, which curled naturally, the
ringlets appearing to be scampering wildly all over her
head and chasing each other down her back and shoul-
ders ; they were of that peculiar hue that one was in
doubt whether to style them " golden " or " carrots."
Above all, I had it from her own lips — second-hand, it is
true — that she liked me.

I went again to the house in the evening punctually
at 7, feeling, I admit, slightly sheepish, but that soon
wore off after the father and mother had given the re-
quired permission to visit there when I liked, and I
soon began to feel myself a little more at home.

Annie, who on my arrival had rushed off to an inner
room, was now persuaded to put in an appearance, blushing
as red as her hair, yet looking very pretty and very happy,
and we all sat down to a very pleasant tea.

After tea, a married couple entered, with the intention
of spending the evening there ; then came two young
girls, companions and bosom-friends of Annie's, and a

SCBATCH-CEADLE. 97

yotiDg widow not jet twenty — not the one I proposed to —
who had recently lost her husband, and very becoming
and bewitching she looked in her black dress; so that
there was quite a large party of us, including Annie's
brother — ^a sort of hobble-de-hoy — whom I omitted to
mention before.

The four seniors sat down to a game of whist, and we,
the youngsters, including the widow, sat down to " hunt
the slipper," " scratch-cradle," and such scientific games,
where it was quite the reverse of " whist."

I cannot let this opportunity pass without saying a
word or two concerning the interesting game of " scratch-
cradle." Language fails in the description of it ; it is
simply delicious when played by those who are " spooney "
on each other — at least, that is my idea of it. It requires
such care in taking the string off to prevent its getting
tangled. And the tact that is necessary to keep it from
slipping over either of the tiny fingers ! The perpetual
contact of your fingers with hers, to prevent such a
catastrophe, or, the catastrophe having occurred, your
efforts to place the string back again into its proper
position; these, together with the necessity of both
leaning over till the two heads come imperceptibly to-
gether, and your hair gets entangled with hers, in place
of the string — ^you can't separate till you have carefully
taken the string off her fingers, which takes some time —
and you feel in such a glow, and so flurried, that you are
sure to drop a string, and have to do it all over again,
with a similar result. I say that scratch-cradle is posi-
tively a delightful pastime, and would become a favourite

7

98 6CBAPS FROM MY SABBETASOHE.

game with lovers did they but once try it. It is for this
purpose only that I mention it, that others, if jthej wish
it, maj have the benefit of mj experience in this delectable
game.

After having indulged in these games for some time,
the joung widow suggested — ^it being a clear moonlight
night — going out on the grass plat in front of the house
and playing " Sally Waters," to which everyone, myself
included, cordially responded, though I had not then the
■remotest idea of who or what " Sally Waters " was. We,
therefore, went out, and at once commenced this interesting
game.

For the information of those readers who have not
played it, I will briefly describe it; at the same time
admitting, that whatever opinion the reader may form of
it, and however absurd and childish the game may appear,
there is one point in it that meets with my warmest
approval — ^I mean the kissing part of the ceremony.
This is particularly enjoyable, unless the player is of a
misanthropical turn of mind, when, of course, such enjoy-
ment is not to be expected.

One of the players stands in the centre of a ring formed
by the others joining their hands together. These, then,
<;ommence a sort of war dance round the one in the centre,
At the same time chanting —

SaUy, SaUy Waters,
Sprinkle in the pan.

{I haven't the slightest conception of what they are
supposed to " sprinkle in the pan," or what kind of pan
it is.)

SCBATCH-CBADLB. 99

Arise, Sally Waters,

And choose a yonng man.
Choose from the east,

Choose from the west,
Choose from the whole of us

Whom you like best.

The central player, designated as Sallj Waters, whether
male or female, then chooses one of the opposite sex ; the
two kneel facing each other, and the '' war dance " and
chanting are continued —

This young couple are married together.
Father and mother they must obey ;
Love one another, like sister and brother ;
This young couple must kiss each other.

The ceremony of kissing each other having been solem.
nized, the one who was the first in the centre then quits it
and joins the ring of " war-dancers," leaving the one he
or she has just selected to remain in the centre and
repeat the same performance on some one else, when he
or she retires in turn from the centre ; this sort of thing
being repeated till the players are tired of the game.

I enjoyed this game very much, and was particularly
fortunate, I being the only male present, with the excep-
tion of the hobble-de-hoy brother, who was out of modesty
-generally chosen by his sister, after she had been chosen
by me ; so that I came in for a full share of kissing,
hobble-de-hoy never being chosen but by his own sister,
the other girls and the widow invariably choosing me,
much to my gratification and appreciation of the game.

At 10 it was time for us to disperse to our
respective domiciles, and I now found out, for the first

7 •

100 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASOHB.

time, that Annie went every night to the bungalow of a
lady who had recently come out from England (and whose
husband was away superintending some railway works),
and slept with her, as the lady was rather nervous at
being left alone in a strange place. I, of course, offered
to escort Annie to the bungalow ; the widow exclaiming
she would also go with us. So off the three of us started,
left Annie at the bungalow, and I came back with the
widow alone. On our way back I could plainly see that
she was making a regular set at me ; I, however, pretended
not to perceive her drift — leaving her, perhaps, under
the impression that I was rather "slow" and stupid,
when in reality I was aware of her purpose and simply
fighting shy of her lures.

The widow was young and handsome, in fact she might
safely come under the head of "bewitching," but she
was, undoubtedly, also, up to a thing or two, and must
have been a trifle imscrupulous, for she knew how Annie
and I were situated, and yet she very palpably " set her
cap " at me. Every evening she found her way to Annie's
house, proposed " Sally Waters " — to which, all the others
being agreeable, I could not possibly object — ^and invari-
ably accompanied Annie and myself to the lady's bunga-
low ; by this arrangement depriving me of a tete-k-tete
with Annie, and securing one for herself when I escorted
her back. In short, being familiar with the flavour of
her lips, and rather liking it, in " Sally Waters," it came
natural to me to take more lengthened draughts from them
than the exigencies of the game actually required ; on our
road home we had also got into the habit of rehearsing

SOEATOH-OEADLE. 101

that particular part of the game, so that it would appear
as if I came to see the widow instead of Annie, when,
really, I did not care for the widow — not that I disliked
the kissing — ^but I kissed her for fear she should think I
was a fool to throw away, or not avail myself of, such
luxuries thus put in my way. I could see the danger I
was in — not of being "hooked" by her, but of being
eventually found out — such a state of things could not
continue long without being discovered, and then there
would be a pretty scene.

One night the widow chose me for her " young man,**
in " Sally Waters," and when we knelt down, and the cue
was given to kiss, she said, " Now, give me a nice one."
I replied, foolishly, and without giving it a thought, that
I would give her the sweetest I had, and kissed her,
taking no more notice of it. It was now my turn to select
one, and I naturally chose Annie ;. on taking her hand to
kiss her, she slipped a ring I had given her a few days
previously into mine. I dropped the ring at once into my
coat pocket, as if nothing had happened, and retired from
the centre, joining the rest in the " war dance," but, at
the same time, I felt uneasy as to why she had returned
it to me.

When it came to Annie's turn to quit the centre, she
slily stole away into the house. A few minutes after,
watching my opportunity, I followed, and found her in
tears, and her mother trying to soothe her. I asked her
why she had given me the ring back, and it then all came
out: — the widow's nightly propositions for "Sally Waters,"
^her constantly choosing me (I should have thought it

102 SCRAPS FBOM MT SABBETASCHE.

strange if she had chosen hobble-de-hoj), and as con-
stantly accompanying us to the lady's bungalow, and
coming back with me alone (fortunately she did not know
of our rehearsals on the road) ; and, to wind up all, the
widow's asking me to give her a nice one, and my reply.
This was all told with much sobbing and many tears.

In defence, I could but say that I came there to see
Annie only ; that I did not invite the widow, and did not
want her to come, but I was only a guest myself, and
could not reasonably tell her she was not wanted ; that
she did not accompany us at my invitation but her own, but
that it was not in my power to drive her away ; that if
she proposed the game, and the rest all appeared agree-
able, it would be very bearish in me to object ; as to the
words I made use of when she requested me to give her a
" nice one," they were said without thought, and I should
probably have made the same reply to anyone else under
similar circumstances ; that if she or her mother liked to
prohibit the widow from coming there, it would give
great pleasure to me, as I should then be able to enjoy
more of Annie's society alone. In short, we made friends
again. But the same scenes constantly occurred; the
widow still came ; Annie was still jealous, and scarcely
a night passed that we did not have a squabble, till,,
finally, a rupture took place and we mutually agreed to
separate.

I could not have felt much regret at this, for it did
not prey very heavily on my mind, but I also could not
resist the temptation of writing a few lines, and sending
them the following day to her, to show the effect our

SCRATCH-CKADLE. 108

separation had on me. Some idea may be formed of
the state of mj feelings by a perusal of them, I will
therefore insert them here ; they run thus : —

Rejected! cast off! my love coldly slighted ;

For did not her own lips the cruel words say,
That have wrecked all my hopes, and my happiness blighted ?

** I don't love you now, though I did t'other day."

" I don't love you now ! '* those words were too bitter ;

I felt the blood rush to my fingers and toes ;
Oh I where was my spirit, that I didn't hit her

A " topper for luck '* on the bridge of her nose !

Yet I know she once loved me ; have not her lips said it ?

Has she not told her love by her blushes and sighs ?
When her eyes have met mine, have I not in them read it ?

And does not the heart speak its love through the eyes ?

To that lonely graveyard, by the side of the river,
1 11 be borne like a mummy, within the dead cart ;

And people will say 'twas complaint of the liver,
But she will well know 'twas disease of the heart.

And women will come, and with tears and with wailing.
Mourn over the grave where my virtues lie hid,

And say, " He 'd no fault, he had only a failing ;
He didn't love wisely, but too well " — so he did !

There shall I rest, and nought shall awake me,
Till the last jolly trumpeter sounds the "fall in,"

When 1 11 rise, and an escort of angels shall take me
To where there *s no suffering, sorrow, or sin.

We were shortly afterwards ordered off to Persia, so
I had no leisure to fret, even if I had the inclination ;
constant change and excitement effectually prevented my
giving way to any serious amount of melancholy ; indeed,
I looked upon the whole affair as an exquisite joke, and
an agreeable way of having passed my time for the last
few weeks.

104 SCRAPS PBOM MT SABBETASOHB.

It may be as well to state here that I did not see
Annie again till I came back from the Indian Mutiny,
nearly four years after ; I then heard she was engaged to
be married to a corporal of the 6th Inniskillings, and that
her troiMseau was already prepared. I was at this time
lance-sergeant, having accepted the stripes when I found
we were really going into the field, and had risen to
the rank of lance-sergeant in the ordinary run of promo-
tion.

To return to Annie. I met her at a dance one evening,
and purposely avoided her, but, to my great surprise,
she crossed over, and shook hands with me, during the
time we were waiting — both of us being in the one set — ^f or
the dancing to commence, and, after a few hurried words
of greeting, asked me to stand up in the next dance
with her. I could not nicely refuse, so I danced with
her in the next, and, in fact, in nearly every other dance
afterwards. That night she told me she still loved me,
and that she wouldn't marry this corporal. I had great
di£Giculty to check her ebullitions of love, which, although
I felt a sort of secret pleasure in, I heartily deplored, as I
found I had not the slightest tenderness for her now.

From this eveiiing I avoided her as much as possible,
but she took every opportunity of meeting me, and even
writing to me, begging me to be again to her as I was
before. Hobble-de-hoy, too, who had been with me
through the campaign, and who had by this time
grown a great strapping fellow, must needs invest in a
pistol, for the purpose of polishing me off. His friendly
intention he darkly hinted to some of the men, who, in

SCBATCH-CEADLB. 105

~tam, told it to me. He thought better of it afterwards,
or found out things were different from what he sus-
pected, I being blameless, and not wanting to run away
with his sister. To make short work of it, I was verj
glad when the regiment went home, taking me with
it, and leaving her with her friends in India.

I heard afterwards that her marriage with the cor-
poral never took place, he — fortunately, perhaps, for his
peace of mind — " stepping out " with a fever ; she married
some civilian in Bombay.

106 80BAPS FBOM MT SABBETASCHE.

CHAPTER XV.

OFF TO PEBSIA. — SINGING GIBLS.

You may say what you like, but the line of march is the-
place for genuine enjoyment, that is, if you like open-air
exercise at all, and don't want to sit puking in hot musty
rooms all your life. Fine, bright, sunny weather, with
a dash of coolness run through it, just to make the air
bracing and invigorating ; good roads ; a good horse —
not a shuffler, but one that can walk out when required;
and I'll engage that after a march a good breakfast does
not go begging — nor a " snifter," either, previous to paying
your devotions to the substantial.

Somehow or other, I always felt a different man
altogether when I once got fairly on the road. I was
really a soldier then — ^threw away all my foppery and
conceit, and got sunburnt as soon as I possibly could, by
rambling to my heart's content all day after I had come
in from the march. Many men prefer a nap after their
breakfast — indeed, the " nip " they have taken before it
predisposes to sleep ; but give me a run over the country,.

OFF TO PERSIA. 107"

the wilder the better, and if I mtist have a nap, let it be-
nnder a tree, with the whispering leaves to lull me off to
sleep.

Our regiment marched off by troops or squadrons, as

the case might be, and as fast as vessels could be fitted

up in Bombay for the reception of the horses, leaving a

few days' interval between the marching off of each

detachment.

I had, shortly before we left for Persia, and after my
little fracas with Annie, been made a lance-corporal.* As
I mentioned in the foregoing chapter, I had several times
been offered that dignity, but declined, principally on
account of the theatre and other amusements. When the
order came for us to proceed to Persia, there was an end
to theatricals at once, and I returned to my duty as a
matter of course.

The first guard I mounted, the regimental Sergeant-
Major ''fell me out," and I was again offered the
" stripes," but, as usual, I respectfully declined them.
The Sergeant-Major, who was a kind man, and evidently
wished to be a friend to me, pointed out the folly of my
declining rank, and the ultimate benefit that might accrue
to me by accepting it — that we were now going on a cam-
paign where promotion might be very rapid — that I was
a smart man, and ought to aspire to something better than
the role of a private — with other persuasions of a like

• For the information of those who do not know the difference
between lance and full rank, I may here mention that the former is a
sort of breyet rank; the recipient wearing the stripes, holding the
Tank, and doing the work, but not getting the pay.

108 SCRAPS FROM MY SABEETASCHE.

nature — till I told him I would accept it. The same day
mj name appeared in regimental orders as lance-corporal,
to do duty in K troop ; I was relieved off guard, and was
soon accommodated with gold chevronSy shoulder-knots,
&c,, the insignia of mj exalted rank.

I may as well here mention that it was considered a
great mark of favour to be promoted in the manner I was,
for everyone aspiring to the rank of lance-corporal had,
after receiving a hint on the subject, to write an oppZi-
cation to become one. I was exempted from this opera-
tion, and was, therefore, the more satisfied with my
position on account of the omission, as no one could say
I had asked for rank, or "crawled" to my superiors in
any manner.

It soon came to the turn of my troop (the K) to start,
and off we went as light-hearted as possible. Some of
the married folk — the women especially — ^pulled very long
faces, though perhaps the husbands, if the truth were
told, did not object to a little outing by way of a change.
If so, they didn't let on about it in presence of their
better halves, looking as glum and demure as if they
were going to a funeral, instead of on a campaign;
but I noticed in a day or two they bore the separation
like men, and rather cheerful ones too in many cases —
at any rate, separation, didn't appear to affect their
appetites.

The road from Kirkee to Oolwa, whither we were to
proceed in order to embark the horses in native boats,
in which they were to be conveyed to the ship, is very
pleasantly diversified by plain, mountain, valley, and topes

OFF TO PERSIA. 109

of mango trees, while here and there were rugged old forts
in the distance, perched on the top of apparently impreg-
nable rocks, looking down on the corn-fields and mango
topes, guarding them and the owners of them who dwelt
in the little Tillages nestling at their feet.

In this short march from Kirkee to Oolwa we had an
adyantage over our previous marches, — we did not require
tents, which saved much time and trouble ; for, instead
of having to pitch tents at the end of a day's march,
we simply picketed our horses and walked into a
Pendall, and on leaving, vice versa.

After breakfast I used to issue forth for a ramble ;
and, so long as I knew I was not required, even when
on duty as orderly corporal. At the top of the Khandalla
Ghauts one day, knowing nothing particular was required
of me till dinner time, I went out for my customary stroll.
Seeing a fine tope of mango trees a short distance off, I
sauntered in that direction and sat beneath the luxuriant
foliage of one of them. Chancing to throw my eyes
up in the tree, I noticed a very peculiar-shaped bough,
which, by some freak of nature, interlaced with another,
and formed a sort of arm-chair. Thinking what a cosy
place that would be for a nap, I climbed the tree, seated
myself in this natural arm-chair, and, dreamily watching
the dancing lights and shadows caused by the sun and
breeze on the foliage, and listening to the whispered
rustling of the leaves, I insensibly dropped off to sleep.

I was awakened by the tinkling of a sitar, and the voice
of a woman singing an Indian song just beneath me
xuider the tree. On looking down, I saw two Indian

110 SOBAPS FBOM MY SABBETASOHB.

-girls, one of whom was singing to the accompaniment of
a man who plajed the sitar. Still keeping mj perch in
the tree, I lazily listened to the singing of the girl, till,
by chance, knowing the song she was singing, I noticed
she missed a yerse, and at once betrayed my whereaboats
by calling her attention to the omission, and, to the
intense surprise of herself and her companion, singing
the Terse for her.*

This put me on good terms with them in a moment,
and I was soon out of the tree sitting among them,
chatting and singing with them as if I had known them
all my life, and was brought up like them to vagabondiz-
ing about the country and singing for my living. The
girla were tumblers as weU as singers, and exhibited
before me, but they were perfectly astonished when they
found I was equally as well up in that as I was in sing-
ing, going through a variety of acrobatic performances
for their delectation, and concluding by strolling round
in an inverted position, i,e, on my hands.

Shortly after, seeing by the sun that it was nearly
dinner time, I took leave of my quondam friends and
walked back to the Pendall. In a few minutes I was in

* The reader must not pat this down as gasconading, for then I
would not torn my back on any Indian singer, in regard either to the
singing or the nnmber of songs I knew. I am now quite an old man
■and have forgotten a good many, but I could still manage to sing a
number of Indian songs, even after this lapse of time. I need not say
that the learning of these songs involved a good deal of time and
trouble, and led me into some very queer company ; and sometimes
into rather awkward adventures — ^my teachers being invariably
Indians of the softer sex.

SINGING GIBLS. Ill

miif omiy had donned mj belt, and was again on dutj, '' all
there/' serving out the beer to the men and looking
after their khana. After I had finished and reported
'''all right" to the sergeant-major, he called me on one
side, as if he had something particular to tell me, and
«aid, "Are you the orderly corporal to-day?" I gave
him to understand that I had the honour of being that
responsible functionary. **I thought so," replied he,
•" when I saw you so busily occupied under those trees a
43hort time ago ; but I never knew till now that it was
part of the duty of an orderly corporal to do the amiable
to singing girls, or to walk about on his hands instead
of his feet; I find, however, that I was mistaken, and
it is so."

It seems he had been watching me from the Pendall,
and, with the aid of his telescope, had seen my per-
formances in the acrobatic line, and was, I have no doubt,
much instructed and amused by them. Often, after that,
if he had occasion to tell me to go anywhere, he would
say quietly, after the order was given, '' You may go in
the usual way ; you need not fatigue yourself by walking
on your hands."

112 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRBTASCHE.

CHAPTER XYI.

MONKEYS.

We halted for a day at the Khandalla Ghauts, and the
next morning I took the opportunity for a ramble down
some of the kudds. I think there are not many places
with such wild and magnificent scenery as is to be seen
at the Ghauts. One could stand on the top of these and
behold the mountains stretching far away into space in
an infinity of forms, weird-like and grand, as if at the
creation of the world they had been tumbled out there
promiscuously. On looking down, one could see the
Tillage at the foot of the Ghauts, and fancy it was the
simplest thing in the world to toss a stone into it, when
in reality it is seven or eight miles distant by the winding
and picturesque road.*

• Since I was there — indeed, the work was going on before I left
India — engineering energy and skill have triumphed over nature, and,
what with tunnelling, bridging, and blasting, an apparently impossible
feat has become an established fact, and a railway now trayerses the
Ghauts; no doubt astonishing my friends the monkeys, and other
wild denizens of these kudds, and causing them to remove farther from
the rumble of the train and the shrieks of the engine.

MONKEYS. 113

But to return to the kudds. I had gone down a very
steep one, sometimes at the risk of breaking my neck,
greatly admiring the scenes that occasionally opened out
to my view, and the nearer glimpses of grotesque-looking
rocks, and numberless unknown (to me) flowers and trees,
that I passed on my way down. On reaching the bottom,
which seemed as if it was shut out of the world alto-
gether, it was so awfully silent, I found a spring rippling
over some rocks and falling into a natural tank or basin,
which looked to me as if it was expressly designed for a
bath. Under this impression, and being tired and hot,
I thought I might just as well freshen myself by treating
it as one. I, therefore, peeled off, and was soon luxu-
riating in its cool limpid water ; letting the tiny stream
from above make a waterfall over my head, and dash
from thence into the basin in which I was comfortably
seated, in the same costume in which Adam is supposed
to have been dressed before Eve discovered the impropriety
of his appearing in that style before her.

After indulging in the bath till I considered myself
sufficiently cooled, I got out, dressed myseK — without the
aid of either towel, comb, or glass — sat down on the
edge of the basin, lighted my pipe, and proceeded to
placidly enjoy a smoke, listening meanwhile delightedly
to the musical trickle of the water as it fell into the
basin.

On all sides of me rose precipitous rocks, with here and
there a wild flower or stunted tree sticking out of their
very faces, though how a seed could ever find its way to
such a place — how flowers and trees could find root-hold^

8

114 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHB.

to say notliing of the moisture requisite to cause
them to grow — but there they were, and growing as
freely as if they were carefully tended and watered every
morning.

While revolving this phenomenon over in my mind, I
was all at once roused from my reverie by an unearthly
sort of " cackle " — for I can describe it by no other
word — and on looking up to where the sound proceeded
from, there was an old " jocko " high up on the face of
one of the rocks, making faces at me and indulging
in his "cackle" — in surprise, I suppose, at seeing me
there.

After watching him for a few minutes, I picked up
a stone and threw it at him. This had an lindesired
effect. Little did J dream of the result, or I would not
have thrown that stone. The enraged jocko made a
peculiar noise, and in a moment the faces of the rocks in
every direction were swarming alive with monkeys. Where
they could all spring from so rapidly passed my com-
prehension altogether. The first monkey seemed to
explain something to them, when all of them immediately
commenced gesticulating violently, gibbering, cackling,
making the most hideous grimaces at me, and pelting me
— or rather throwing bits of rock or stones at me,
fortunately without hitting me. I began to feel uneasy ;
there were enough of them to eat twenty men, with their
clothes to boot, so that I should have been but a
mouthful apiece, had they attacked me — ^and, by their
threatening manner, it appeared as if they intended
to do so.

MONKEYS. 115

Dim visions of being made a meal of by monkeys,
^and of my carefully picked bones lying in this horrible
kudd for years, passed across my mind. When I was
missed I should have the credit of having been eaten by
tigers — they would never think of monkeys eating me.
Would they search for me when I was missed at the
Pendall — if they did, would they find me ? The monkeys
wouldn't eat my chuckmuck and pipe, I should be recog-
nized by them. In fact, the near prospect of being
" skoffed " by the infuriated monkeys was sufficiently
alarming. Here was a pretty finish to all my capers!
What a nice thing to put on my tombstone — if ever I had
one — " Eaten by monkeys ! "

I was getting afraid — ^in fact, there is no use in mincing
the matter — I was most decidedly afraid, and would
have turned tail and run away if I could, but the infernal
place was so steep, I should have all my work to do to
get out of it at any time, without having an army of
chattering monkeys at my heels. It ran through my
mind, too, that if I once turned my back and fairly fled
it would only encourage them ; I should have the whole
boiling of them on the top of me in no time. I mvst get
away, however, that was evident ; so I slowly retired, in
great trepidation at the necessity of proceeding so slowly,
showing a front as much and as often as the nature of
the ground I had to pass would allow ; but it seemed an
awful long journey to the top of the kudd. I reached
it at last ; followed to the very top by the whole of the
monkeys — who must have numbered thousands, and who
mouthed, chattered, grinned, threatened, and pelted me

8 ♦

116 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASOHE.

the whole way. I was very thankful when I once more-
put my foot out of their realm, and considered myself
safe. I did not go down that kudd again, and I inwardly
resolved never to pelt a solitary monkey, if I saw one,,
no matter where he was.

Lest the reader should imagine this monkey adventure
a little over- strained, I need but mention that among:
Hindoos, in all parts of India, monkeys are held in great
veneration, many temples being dedicated to Hanuman,.
the Monkey God, who figures largely in Hindoo mytho-
logy. I remember reading once that this worthy, whO'
was a great warrior, sent out 350,000,000 of monkey
generals to reconnoitre ; and I thought at the time, if so-
many generals went out to reconnoitre only, how many
monkey generals and soldiers must there have been when/
it came to actual fighting. Monkey temples, therefore,,
often contain numbers of real monkeys, as well as the
eflBgy of Hanuman. Pugger Tank, the only one I can call
to mind by name, having some thousands, I should think,,
running abont the premises, and fed by the establishment.

There are many temples, also, where such "cattle" as.
lice, fleas, <&c. are fed and housed very comfortably by
the priests, who take great care that they are properly
looked after in regard to their diet. For instance, in
the rooms where these vermin are kept, is a great quantity
of clothing and bedding which literally swarm with them.
At feeding- time, which is at night, a number of beggars
are turned into the rooms, their own clothes having pre-
viously been taken away from them ; they are required to
don some of the clothing belonging to the temple, con--

MONKEYS. 117

taining the vermin, or sleep, if they can, on the beds
provided for them, while the vermin browze off them (the
beggars) to their hearts' content. In the morning the
beggars receive a few pice as remuneration for their
night's rest (?). Their clothes are restored to them, and
they are allowed to depart, leaving the vermin no doubt
'greatly refreshed with their feed, and looking forward to
night again, when another relay of beggars will be found
to replace those who left in the morning ; thus insuring
the vermin a change in their diet, as they never feed off
the same joints two nights consecutively. But I am di-
gressing, perhaps, led to it by the affinity between monkeys
und vermin ; they (the monkeys) enjoying nothing better
than a battue on a brother monkev's head to search for
and kill the same creatures that their human brethren
philanthropically endeavour to preserve and fatten,

I must not omit to mention that while on this march
I also climbed up to the Elarlee caves, and was amply
rewarded for my labour in the magnificent view which
greeted my eyes on attaining the summit of the rock
in whose bosom the cave is situated. I was much im-
pressed with its grandeur, and the immense amount of
time and labour that must have been spent in its excava-
tion, and in the grotesque carving with which the cave is
ornamented. It has been too often described by tourists
and others better qualified than myself to explain its
various beauties to need a feebler repetition of them at
my hands, I shall, therefore, refrain from inflicting a
description of my own on the reader, and content myself
•ovith remarking that the place is well worthy a visit.

118 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

On this rock, too, I saw a very peculiar sort of tree,,
the leares of which are of a beautiful mauve colour,,
transparent, like stained glass ; while the blossoms, also
transparent, were a brilliant green. I am not much of a
botanist in regard to a knowledge of the scientific names
of flowers, plants, or trees, but I have a keen apprecia-
tion of their beauty, and I could not enough admire
such a singular and beautiful tree ; it put me in mind of
the trees one reads of in fairy tales. It is the only tree
of the kind I have ever seen, and could it be transported
to England would cause somewhat of a sensation among
those who make botany their study. It is a pity some
effort is not made to propagate the tree by cuttings or
seed, if it has any, and I trust my casual remarks may
induce some lover of the beautiful in nature to at least
make the attempt to do so.

At Oolwa the horses were put into native boats, each
boat having its complement of gliora- wallahs to look after
the horses, and one dragoon to look after ghora- wallahs ;.
the remainder of the men and the camp-followers embarked
in the Governor's yacht, the name of which I forget. As we
slowly steamed away, there arose from the little landing-
place such a plaintive wail from the poor Indian women
who crowded there to get a last look at their husbands,
fathers, brothers, or lovers (I mean English lovers), that
I felt quite sad for the poor creatures, more so than I had
recently felt when leaving our own women at Kirkee, and
I was thankful that I had left no one to wail for me
among the crowd, or I might have felt sadder still. Even
when out of ear-shot of their cries, we could see thenk

MONKEYS. 119

wringing their hands and gesticulating for a long time,
and I was glad when distance and the increasing gloom
shnt them out from our sight.

The next morning we reached Bombay, and went on
board the good ship " Tornado," the vessel " told off " to
take my troop to Persia. In a few hours the horses were
all safely shipped, stowed away in their stalls below ; and
off we started, with a fair breeze, for Persia.

120 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBETASCHB.

CHAPTER XVII.

ON BOARD SHIP.

Not being mucli of a politician, I had not the remotest
idea of the origin of the Persian war, nor, I must con-
fess, have I up to the present time. Nor did I care either ;
it was sufficient for me — and the rest of us, so far as
that goes — that there tuas to be war, and that we were
ordered to Persia to participate in it, which was satis-
factory for all parties, blind obedience being one of the
^rst qualities of a good soldier.

Now I always endeavour to make myself at home where-
ever I go — as was the case with the singing girls ; and in
this particular instance, having landed on board ship, as
Pat would say, I was at once eminently nautical. I went
to my pack and drew out a seafaring rig I had previously
prepared, which I donned in a brace of shakes, substitu-
ting a rakish-looking wide-awake for my shako, a striped
shirt well open in the neck and displaying a reasonable
amount of breast for my full-dress coat, a black necker-
chief loosely tied with a slip-knot, and the two ends flying

ON BOARD SHIP. 121

ioose for my stock, a pair of white ducks, tight from the
waist to my knees, and from thence gradually widening
to the bottom, where they were as wide as pyjamas, for
my overalls ; as for a substitute for boots and spurs, I
scorned a covering of any kind for my feet, and went
barefoot. A clasp-knife suspended by a string from my
neck, and stuck in the waist of my ducks, supplied the
place of my sword and completed my outfit.

In this costume I considered myself pretty well " got
up " as a tar, and that I was complete in everything,
except a knowledge of sailor's work. This, however,
caused me no concern ; and I very soon set to work to
rectify that by learning the names of the ropes, sails, <&c.,
and I made no scruple in going up aloft to help reef or
stow sails when it came on to blow. Whether I was ever
-of any assistance at such times was best known to the
sailors, but on after-consideration I am inclined to the
mortifying belief that I was no great help, but rather in
the way occasionally ; I did not, however, perceive this at
the time.

But to proceed. I had scarcely rigged myself out and
stowed my regimentals away when the trumpet sounded
for the guard. I stood aghast at the sound. Here was
a devil of a start ! I was orderly corporal, and it was
my duty to parade the men, inspect them, and report to
the sergeant-major previous to his and the captain's
inspection. But what a costume I was in to inspect the
guard, who were in " full uniform." It was no earthly
use asking one of the other corporals to do it for me, as
they were all in a similar predicament to myseK, they

122 SCRAPS PROM MY SABRETASCHE.

having already mounted slop clothing, but having the
advantage of me in wearing shoes.

Seeing I had no alternative I determined to " cheek it"
out ; so I put on a bold face, and gracefully standing
with one hand on my hip, in approved nautical fashion,
I roared out, " Fall in the guard ! " and stood, barefoot
as I was, ready to parade them. The men assembled,
looking rather surprised at me and my costume ; and the
vision of the captain standing on the poop with his glass
stuck in his eye, staring very intently at me, as if I was
some queer description of animal he had never seen before,
alone deterred them from bursting into a roar of laughter.
I need not say that I was very far from laughing at the
time, but I determined to carry it off in the best manner
I could, so I bawled out the words of command, as if,
instead of being barefoot, I was in full drees and on
a general parade.

" Ten shun !

* * Eyes right !

" Dress ! " (I wished I had been properly dressed at
the time.)

" Up a little on the left ! "

« Steady ! "

" Eyes /row^ .^ "

" Port arms ! "

" As you were ! " (I *d have given a trifle to have been
as I was previous to putting on this infernal rig.)

" Together ; port arms ! "

" Half-cock arms ! "

Having given these necessary words of command, I

ON BOARD SHIP. 123

commenced making a careful survey of tlie men, slowly
walking down the rank, looking them up and down —
while they as intently stared at the front busily occupied
in looking at nothing — taking a bird's eye view down the
nipples of the carbines, to see if they were properly
cleaned, straightening a belt, <fec. When I arrived at the
bottom of the line, I gave the words, " Ease springs !
Advance arms!" and then inspected them minutely in
the rear. This being done, I bawled out, "Stand at
ease ! " and, the sergeant-major having in the meantime
put in an appearance, I went up to him with the greatest
nonchalance, as if I was doing the thing in the proper
regimental style, and reported " All right."

I could see a merry twinkle in the sergeant-major's eye
as I approached him. But, the captain being on the
poop at the time, he was compelled for his own sake to
notice such an absurd breach of discipline as a barefooted
corporal inspecting a guard in full-dress. "All right,
except you, I suppose you mean," cried he, addressing
me sternly. " What do you mean by such a masquerading
costume as that ? Consider yourself under arrest." On
this, of course, I did consider myself in that unpleasant
position, and immediately hid my diminished head by
dropping into the back-ground.

Shortly after I was " had up " in front of the captain,,
who, after closely scrutinising^ me and my " get up "
through his eye-glass, demanded to know what I meant
by such conduct. I excused myself on the plea that I had
entirely forgotten that I was orderly corporal, or rather
that I did not think that on board ship the guard would

124 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBBTASCHB.

mount as tliej did on shore, and had changed mj
costume, as I thought, to suit the place I was now
in, and the sort of work I might have to assist in
doing.

The captain, merely remarking that he had no objection
to the sort of clothes I wore on board ship — ^here I
detected his eye-glass unconsciously straying to my feet
— but that I ought to have waited till I was off duty,
released me. The men afterwards mounted guard in
slops, indeed, constantly wore them; but I, unless on
•duty, always stuck to my nautical costume.

125

CHAPTER XVIII.

INCIDENTS AT SEA.

I DO not know a cooler or pleasanter place in a ship, when
at sea in the tropics, than the fore-top. You are, as it
were, like Mahomet's coffin, between heayen and earth
— or, rather, the deck of the ship — with the breeze, if
there is one, all around you, wafted towards you in its
proper course, bounding down on to you from the bellying
fore-topsail, coming up to you through the battens on
which you lie. With your head pillowed on the slack of
the fore-topmast staysail, you may sleep as serenely and
coolly as if angels made it their business to exercise
their wings for your express behoof. Even if there is
no breeze at all, the flapping of the sail against the mast
answers all the purposes of an immense fan, and soon
sends you into the regions of oblivion.

I used to spend most of my leisure time up there — and
I had a reasonable amount of that, for soldiers are not
overworked on board ship — and pass the hours very
pleasantly, either in a game of chess with a comrade —
and we bad some great chess-players in the regiment —

126 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

reading a book, or dreamilj staring up through the maze
of ropes and sails, into the bright blue skj, till somno-
lencj, in it sweetest and most seductive form, insensibly
stole over me. Yes ; the fore-top of a ship is the place,
par excellence, for either dreamers when awake or sleepers '
whether dreaming or otherwise.

I was once reported absent from a parade, and much
uneasiness was felt lest I had mjsteriouslj fallen over-
l^oard, till one of the men, knowing my proclivities,
suggested the fore-top, where 1 was discovered, fastly
locked in the arms of the drowsy god, to the great relief
•of my comrades.

Another favourite place of mine was the extreme end of
the bowsprit. On a breezy, sunny day, with a good sea
on, it was delicious to stand or sit there, and, according
to the motion of the vessel, be one moment lifted high
up into the air, the next plunged down again as the
good ship dipped her nose into the briny, — as if she
intended diving under it altogether, — shook herself, and
again bounded on.

I remember once being there when the stentorian voice
of the boatswain hailed me with, " Come in out of that ;
do you want to make us have to stop to pick you up ? " I
came in as desired ; but, my pride being touched by an
allusion the boatswain made to '' land-lubbers " and
"horsemen," what should they know about ships? I
challenged him, and offered to bet my porter against his
grog, that, " land-lubber and horseman " as I was, I could
do on the bowsprit what he couldn't. The bet was
accepted at once ; I immediately went out to my old

INCIDENTS AT SEA. 127

position, and, supporting myself with one hand by the
" royal stay," and with the other by the end of the bow-
sprit, stood on my head, and, while in that position,
makinfs^ an excellent figure-head of myself, calling on
him to come out and do the same, if he could. I need
not say he did not come ; the laugh was turned against
him for being beaten by a land-lubber, and he owned I
had fairly won his grog. He never called me in again,
nor a land-lubber either.

As I did not at the commencement of this history inflict
on my readers a diary of the " passage out," I may be
pardoned for narrating an incident here, which occurred
during that period. About 8 o'clock one evening we
were spanking along with a fair breeze, at the rate of
eight or nine knots an hour ; at the same time many of
the men and women were also " spanking along " through
the mazes of country dance, to the inspiriting strains of a
fiddle, fife, and tambourine, when all hands were startled
by the cry " A man overboard !" This cry did not proceed
from anyone on board, but from some one in the sea at
the stern of the ship.

There was something awful in this, and some of the
women fainted. In a moment all was confusion. " Who
could it be?" "How did he get there?" No one on
board had seen or heard anyone fall in, yet there was
the cry from the water. Another faint cry, apparently a
long distance astern, came borne on the breeze to our
horror-struck ears. It was too dark to see anything, but
the captain promptly ordered silence, hove the ship to,
threw out life-buoys, and had a boat lowered, which

128 SCIiAPS FEOM MY SABBETASCHE.

proceeded in search of the man. We were in a dreadful
state of anxiety to know who the man was, though there
was not much hope of the unfortunate wretch being saved,,
whoever he might be ; for there was a heavy sea running,
the night was intensely dark, and he must by this time^
have drifted a long way astern.

This suspense lasted for half an hour, which to us
seemed an age, till at last we heard a welcome shout from
the distance which informed us it was " all right ! **
After what appeared a tremendous long time, the boat
came alongside, and the man stepped on board as naked
as he was bom, and to all appearance perfectly uncon-
cerned at the narrow escape he had just had. He was-
found by the crew of the boat sent to search for him
clinging to one of the buoys, and had given up all hopa
of being rescued from his perilous position. A cloak
was thrown over him to spare the blushes of the ladies,
and he was taken below by the doctor ; a dram of grog
was prescribed and taken, and in a short time the man
presented himself on deck as if nothing had happened.

On inquiry, it was elicited from him, that, seeing all
hands enjoying themselves at dancing, he thought that
would be a capital opportunity for a bath ; he, therefore,
went down the fore-chains, stripped himself, and, after
making fast a rope to one of the chains, he lowered
himself into the sea. He contented himself for a short
time by holding on to the rope with one hand and swim-
ming with the other ; at length, knowing himself to be
a good swimmer, he thought he could safely let go the
rope, swim by the side of it, and resume it again when he

INCIDENTS AT SEA. 129

felt tired. He, accordingly, let go his hold, hut had
scarcely done so when he found himself rapidly drifting
astern, and in a moment was in the wake of the ship,
from whence he had raised the cry, " A man overboard t "
which had put so abrupt a stop to our dancing, and
alarmed us so much.

Another curious incident took place on the same vesiel,
but of a more laughable kind. One of the men, an
Irishman, had fallen backwards from the deck into the
lower hold ; we naturally expected, from the distance he
had fallen, to discover that he had broken some of his
limbs, if not his neck. What was our surprise to see
him briskly jump up, shake himself, and, instead of
ascertaining whether he was hurt or not, as we had
anticipated, hastily clap his hand on his pocket and
exclaim ruefully, "Be jabers! if me dudheen isn't all
into smithereens ! " His pipe being the most important
consideration to him from the fact of its being '* beautifully
coloured," i.e. beastly black.

One of our recruits on the passage out to the regiment
had a narrow escape from death, under such singular
circumstances that I will briefly relate it, though it does
not properly belong to this narrative. This lad and
another had a bit of a fall out, and determined to settle
it in the orthodox manner, that is, have '* three rounds **
and done with it. They at once peeled off and commenced
operations, when the steamer giving a lurch — there being
a good deal of sea on at the time — one of the combatants
rolled over to leeward into the sea. Every effort was
immediately made to save him, but by the time the boat

9

180 SCRAPS FBOK MT SABBETASCHE.

was lowered he was some distance off, and could only
occasionally be seen, owing to the heavy sea, and it was a
long time before the boat succeeded in reaching him.
Fortunately he was an excellent swimmer, or he never
could have been saved; for, independent of the risk he
ran of drowning, he had to defend himself from the
attacks of a huge albatross which kept swooping down
at him ; so that the poor devil had all his work to do to
keep afloat and intact at the same time. I have often
heard him describe the adventure, and the dread he felt
lest the bird should scalp him or tear his eyes out before
help could reach him,, for on each attack of the bird he
could see his eyes evidently gloating over his anticipated
prey. The bird missed a dinner, however, on that occa-
sion. After a good deal of hard pulling, the boat managed
to reach the lad, and brought him safely on board, none
the worse for his dip and his fight with the albatross.
It is but right to state that the combatants, from that
day to this, never finished the orthodox '* three rounds."

As I am now in ** full swing " relating board-of-ship
anecdotes, and as I am not going to write a description
of my voyage home, I will, with the reader's permission,
introduce another incident, of an awful nature, which
occurred on our way to England.

One of the men of my troop had been washing his
clothes privately, it not being ^ washing day," and was
hanging them out to dry on the bowsprit stays. We
were going through the water at the rate of seven or
eight knots an hour; the wind being fair aft the jibs
could not fill, and consequently kept flapping to and fro.

INCIDENTS AT SEA. 131

The man was sitting or stooping on the stays, tying his
iilothes to them, when one of the ropes belonging to a jib
or a block — ^it was not perceived which — ^knocked him
into the sea. A boat was lowered at once, and life-buoys
thrown out. The captain hove the ship to, and called out
for one of the soldiers to run up to the mizen-top— the
49ailors being busied in lowering the boat and attending
to the necessary work required in heaving the vessel to—
to see where the man was. I instantly ran up, but was
scarcely there when I heard such an awful scream that
it made my very blood run cold, and the sound of which
I did not forget for a long time.

I anxiously looked astern for some sign of the poor
fellow, and perceived his cap at some distance off. I called
out to the men in the boat, and they rowed in the direc-
tion of the cap, which they picked up, but no body was
to be seen, though the men asserted that the water was
tinged with blood. The man, when he gave that appal-
ling scream, must have been seized by a shark and devoured
in a moment ; for on the boat's reaching the ship's side —
after rowing for some time in the neighbourhood of the
cap, in the vain hope of yet seeing him — an immense
shark actually tried to jump into the boat to get at the
men, which frightened them so much that they nastily
clambered up the side of the ship for fear he should
succeed in his daring attempt,

A hook was immediately baited with a large piece of
salt pork, which the voracious monster swallowed almost
as soon as it was lowered down into the water, and he
was at once hooked. IJnf ortimately, on pulling the brute

9 •

132 SCRAPS FROM MY SABEETASOHB.

up the ship's side, and when we fancied we had safely
got him, the hook broke, and the shark escaped, so that
we lost the only opportunity of knowing if he had really
devoured our unfortunate comrade, or not ; we, however,
gave him the credit of it, and to judge by his size — for
I should think he was fifteen or sixteen feet in length —
he could easily have devoured one man, and, by his
voracity in trying to get at the other men, he could
readily have found room for one or two more in his
capacious maw.

This incident cast a gloom over all on board, more
especially those of his own troop, who knew that he had
been saving his money for years, with the intention of
buying his discharge, taking a small farm, and support-
ing his widowed mother. How true is the French
saying Homme propose, Bieu dispose. Who would have
thought that all his hopes of home would be thus cruelly
and abruptly terminated P I often used to wonder what
the feelings of his poor mother must have been when
she heard the sad news of his awful death.

I have seen death in all its forms, and have myself
killed, in various ways, more than I can at the present
time count ; but I never felt so deeply impressed in my
life as I did at the death of my troop-mate, poor Bill
Trueman ; and even now, whenever I think of it, I feel
strongly tempted to breathe the prayer of an Irish Catholic
that I know, and say with him devoutly, ^' God keep us
from a sudden and improvided death."

138

CHAPTER XIX.

" JUGGLER."

^BITING the previous chapter has given me a slight touch
of the blues, so, to dissipate them, I think I '11 change
the subject for something of a more enlivening nature.
J '11 therefore retrace my steps — on pax)er — to where I
ought not to have strayed from — to the gallant vessel
(though why they should call a vessel gallant I never
coiQd conceive) bearing us to Persia.

The poor horses must have had a sweltering time of it
below — they were literally stewing during the whole
passage ; for they occupied the lower deck, and a hundred
or so of horses in the 'tween decks of a ship would
make the place feel warm in the coolest of weather, so
what must it have been in warm weather in the tropics !
They were almost constantly steaming with perspiration,
•and must have felt the heat very much.

Their stalls — I was nearly writing cabins — ^were fitted
up with every regard to their comfort, and padded care-
iully to prevent them from getting chafed or bruised by

134 SOBAPS FBOM MT SABBETASOHE.

the motion of the vessel. Nets, filled with hay, were
hung before each of them, so that they coold nibble
away at pleasure. They were regularly cleaned, fed, and
watered every day, the same as on shore ; and would,
therefore, have been very comfortable were it not for the
intense heat. As for us, we took the decks for it, day or
night, and the camp-followers stowed themselves where-
ever they could find an empty spot to lie down in, or a
hole to crawl into.

We certainly had the advantage of the horses in one
respect, for if there was a breeze ''knocking about '^
we got the benefit of it ; we could lie down too, packed
very close, it is true, and pretty moist of a morning when
we woke up, from the heavy dews that fell during the
night ; generally having to wring out our clothes and
bedding, and dry them in the sim preparatory to another
saturation at night. Fortunately there was no rain, or
we should have been in a pretty plight. This was our
case; the horses, though housed properly, were stewed
and condemned to a standing position for the voyage,
much as some of them might have wished to lie down.

Several of the horses succumbed to the extreme heat
below ; these were dragged to the hatchway, hoisted up
on deck, and tossed overboard. One felt a pang at seeing
a noble animal surrounded in a moment by a swarm of
sharks, who would be seen tearing the poor trooper to
pieces, and fighting amongst themselves for the last
piece, till he was devoured. After finishing their ban-
quet the sharks would follow the ship hungrily, waiting
for another windfall of the like description — they, pro-

" JUGGLER." 136

l)abl7, not being able to get horse for dinner every day
of their lives.

One morning a horse was brought to the main hatchway
in a dying state, as well to enable the poor beast to
get a breath of fresh air from the windsail, as to enable
the farrier to see what was the matter with him, and to
administer any remedy he might consider beneficial. I
happened to be standing by at the time, as were also
some of the ship's crew, who used to like to go below and
look at the horses, much in the same manner as we should
look at the wild beasts in a menagerie ; for they did not
often have an opportunity of seeing horses, never having
occasion to use them on board ship, and horses not being
much in their line, so that the sight of a cargo of
dragoons with their horses was quite a novelty to
them.

While standing thus, in a group round the hatchway,
I could hear the sailors wondering among themselves
what was the matter with the horse in question. At
length, one of them, edging up to me, commenced
making inquiries on the subject, the remainder of them
preparing themselves to listen to the dialogue, which
began thus :

** I say, shipmate, what 's the matter with that 'ere
horse ? "

"Why, the farrier says he is in a consumption," 1
replied.

Here was a queer start ! A horse in a consumption !
The sailors looked surprised and solemn at the announce-
ment, while the spokesman continued :

186 SOBAPS FBOM HY SABBBTASOHE.

'^ A consumption ! What, do you mean to say that
hones get the consumption the same as us " (meaning
knman beings) ?

" Of course they do," I replied ; " why shouldn't they?
They are flesh and blood the same as we are, ain't they ?
They get the same diseases too, and are treated in the
same manner as we are."

This was an unanswerable argument.

" But," inquired he, " how do you know when they are
ill, and what 's the matter with 'em ? "

" One way is by feeling their pulse, another "

'' Belay a minute, shipmate," exclaimed the spokesman,
interrupting me, '' till I oyerhaul the first part. Where
is their pulse P "

" Why, in the off hind-leg, of course," replied I, with
profound gravity.

Nothing would do but that I must give them a prac-
tical illustration, and show them how to feel a horse's
pulse ; so I placed two fingers just above the hock of the
dying animal, and shaking my head, gravely remarked,
*<that his pulse was very feeble, and that he couldn't
possibly hold out much longer."

The sailors all looked very serious at this announce-
ment, which they received as if they were standing round
the death-bed of a friend. I continued :

'' There are many ways of finding out when a horse i
ill, without his actually mentioning it himself " (here t)
men began to open their eyes and mouths a bit) ; " thou
it is much better if the horse does so, for he can descr
the symptoms, and the veterinary surgeon has gr&

((

JUGGLBB." 137

•confidence in prescribing for the case than if he were left
to his own resources in finding them out."

" .Why, you speak as if the horses could talk, with your
^ mentioning ' and * describe the symptoms,' " exclaimed
one of the men, while the rest all stood aghast at the
idea of such an unheard-of thing as a horse talking.

" So they can, and do," I replied, " though there are
not many persons who understand them; but all veterinary
surgeons — ^unfortunately, there are none on board — must
have a certificate of proficiency in the language of horses.
I know a few words myself, and if you come with me I 'U
soon prove to you that horses can not only talk, but that
they have got plenty to say for themselves too."

Saying this, I led the way to the stall where my own
horse stood, the sailors closely following in my wake,
•anxious to witness a conversation between a man and a
horse. My horse was busily employed in munching his
hay when I came up, so I opened the conversation as
follows :

"Well, Juggler, how are you getting on this
morning ? "

'' Ha ! ha ! ha ! a-a-a-a-a," replied the horse.

" The deuce you are ! " I exclaimed, as if he told me he
was unwell, " you seemed to be enjoying your hay well
enough when I came up."

" Ha ! ha ! ha ! a-a-a-a-a-a-a ! "

"Yes, it is pretty hot down here," I replied (inter-
preting his neigh as if he had complained of the heat) ;
**• but in a few days we shall reach Persia, and then it
ynUl all be over."

138 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBETASGHE.

''Ha! ha! ha! ha! a-a-a-a-a!"

" Why, you see, it would be rather awkward to shift yoir
now" — as if he had applied to be placed nearer the
hatchway for the sake of the air — " and the other horses
would think it unfair," I replied.

" Ha ! ha ! ha ! a-a-a-a-a-a ! "

'' Yes, you must ' grin and bear it,' " I exclaimed, as if
he had remarked he supposed he would have to put
up with it.

"Ha! ha! ha! a-a-a-a-a!"

'' Oh ! these are some of the crew who wished to hear
you and I have a chat, as they would not believe horses
could talk" ; as if he had inquired, ''What are all these
fellows doing here ? "

" Ha ! ha ! ha ! a-a-a-a-a-a ! "

" No, no, I can't tell them that, it wouldn't be polite,,
you know " ; as if he had requested me to tell them they
were confounded fools, and knew nothing whatever about
horses.

I continued this farce for some time longer, asking^
and answering all sorts of questions (translating the
neighs of the horse to suit my own purpose), to the
astonishment of the sailors, who tried to make the horse
speak to them as he had to me, but the horse refused ta
hold any communication with them whatever.

These men told others of the crew about the conver*
sational powers of horses in general — ^my horse in
particular — and I often had a similar kind of chat
with him for their edification and wonderment. The
readiness of the horse to talk to me, and to me only^

"jugglbb/* 139

may be easily explained. I had a habit, every time I
went to the '* lines," of carrying a few cakes, or a piece
of bread in my pocket ; this I used to dole out to him
piece by piece, talking to him as mothers do to children,
or as dragoons will talk to their horses — he would natu-
rally, every time I opened my mouth, whinny or neigh
for more, till in the course of time he would do so each
time I spoke, whether I gave him anything or not —
hence the deception so easily practised on the unsus-
picious sailors. The particulars oozed out soon after,,
and the sailors looked somewhat sheepish when they
found they had been sold so readily ; and if any of them
were at any time " drawing the long bow " in spinnings
a yam, they were often " brought to " by the proposal^
''Let's go down below and have a chat with the
horses ! "

Poor Juggler afterwards received a shot in the chest,,
and fell in one of the charges at the battle of the*
Betwa!

140 SCRAPS F£OM MY SABUETASOHE.

CHAPTER XX.

SDNDAT MORNING.

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great
waters ;

These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up
the waves thereof.

They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths :
their soul is melted because of trouble.

They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at
their wit's end.

Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them
out of their distresses.

He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are stilL

Then are they glad because they be quiet ; so he bringeth them
unto their desired haven.

Never had I felt the full force and beauty of the
Psalmist's words so much as I did on this Sunday morning.
As the captain of my troop slowly and impressively
read these beautiful verses, I felt that the writer of them
must indeed have been inspired, or how could he have
expressed himself in such exquisite yet appropriate
language, which would lead one to imagine he was

SUNDAY MORNING. 141

familiar with storms at sea and the incidents of a sea-
faring life, when it is probable he was never on board a
^vessel in his life P I think many of the men felt as I did
on that morning, as we stood there bare-headed, reverently
listening to and, I trust, joining in " Divine Service."

We had, in the earlier part of the morning, been caught
in a cyclone, which seemed to me to have blown from all
sides at once. We had been whirled about on the waves
as if a mighty ship was but a mere plaything to the
mightier wind. We had literally experienced all that the
Psalmist had so graphically described; consequently,
having so recently seen **His wonders in the deep,"
we coiQd the better appreciate the truthfulness of the
language ,- and we, I trust, all felt an emotion of grati-
tude and thankfulness to Him who had '^ made the storm
a calm."

The service proceeded ; the voice of the captain alone
being heard in the ship, as she noiselessly ploughed her
way over the billows.

How the snowy crests of the blue waves gleamed and
glistened in the bright rays of the morning sun as they
danced merrily along, as if they were chasing each, other
in the joyousness of uncontrolled freedom ! What a
glorious church was ours ! On all sides there was blue
and white and gold. Above us the blue sky, with ** the
glory in the centre," for our roof ; beneath us and around
us the blue water, its white-crested waves as they succes-
sively curled over breaking into myriads of flakes of foam
which, goldened and rainbow-tinted by the glowing rays
of the sun, looked like jewels, forming a brilliant moving

142 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBETASOHE.

flooring of beautiful mosaic work ; the boundless horizon
being the walls of the edifice. Truly a worthy church m
which to hold "Divine Service"! And how softly and
melodiously our choir, the seething water and the sigh-
mg breeze, seemed to murmur the responses on that
bright Sunday morning.

Shortly after the service was finished, a steamer was
sighted making towards us; as she was coming from
Persia we were all on the tip-toe of expectation to get
the last news from the seat of war.- We were too soon
made acquainted with it ; for in a short time they neared
us, and, to our great disgust, made signals that the
war was over and that she had orders to turn back any
vessel containing troops that she met. Here, then, was
our fiat to return to India, leaving us about as wise as
we were when we started.

This news was very annoying to all of us, as we had
looked forward to "seeing a little service." We now
discovered that five of our troops had seen "a little
service," for they had been in action. My old troop
(the H) had also been up the Euphrates; so that my
promotion, having caused me to be removed to another
troop, had lost me the chance of being with them.

These five troops had all, fortunately for them,
embarked on board steamers, and were consequently not
only the first that left India, but the first by a long way
to arrive in Persia, the sailing vessels never reaching it
at all. I say fortunately, for, although the whole of
the regiment started, only those who reached Persia in
time to be present at an enga^ment received a medal ;

SUNDAY MOBKING. 143

iso that five troops had a medal, and the remainiiig three
went back minus the pleasure of a '' go in " and the
possession of the coveted distinction.*

But to proceed. Our vessel was put about, not by very
willing hands on the part of the troop, jou may be sure,
and in a few days after we reached Bombay. We had
no sooner arrived when we heard of the Mutiny having
broken out, and rumours of the frightful atrocities which
had already been perpetrated. We should have some-
thing to do after all ; and, perhaps, we, who were late in
getting to Persia, or rather in not getting there, would
be first in the field to help avenge our slaughtered
countrywomen. There was some satisfaction in this
thought, after our recent disappointment. We were at
once transhipped to native boats, forwarded on to Polwa,
disembarked the horses and men there, and the next
morning started on the road back to Kirkee, there to
vawait further instructions.

How slowly the time seemed to pass till the other
troops gradually came in, and the whole of the regiment
had arrived at Kirkee. Five troops were immediately
detailed to proceed to Aurungabad to render assistance

* I have seen soldiers who serred in the Crimea, with no less than
fonr medals, but who have confessed to me that they were never
actually ** under fire." In India things are different ; I have there
seen men who have marched more than a thousand miles through the
burning sun, have been within sound of the guns, but, owing to being
on baggage-guard or other duties, have not been actually engaged, and
they have not received a medaL The men used to pass their com-
ments very freely on these facts, not always of a flattering nature to
those who manage these affairs.

144 SCRAPS FROM MY 8ABRETASCHE.

in quelling the mutiny which had broken out among the
troops of the Hyderabad Contingent, my troop happily
forming one of the five.

As it was anticipated we might have some rough work
to do before we came back, the authorities sensibly per-
mitted us to wear our turbans instead of the awkward
shakos ; for which we felt very thankful, the puggrie*
having been our head-dress ever since the regiment had
been in India, on all occasions, except when in full-dress,
when we wore the shako ; now the latter was to be dis-
carded altogether. We also discontinued wearing stocks
and gloves ; two thiogs that help to make one appear
smart on parade, but which cannot be considered of much
service when it comes to actual fighting, especially in an
Indian climate. We, therefore, for fear of future acci-
dents, in the shape of being ordered to wear them agaia^
played football for a short time with the shakos, and
threw both stocks and gloves away as useless and only
so much superfluous baggage.

We marched out of the station a morning or two
after, burning for the time to come when we could show
some good account with our swords on the mutinous
Pandys, the men of the three troops that were left behind
watching us depart with envious eyes at our being selected
to start before them, and longing for the time when they
would be ordered to join us.

* I believe the 14th was the only regunent in India who wore the
puggrie, till the Mutiny broke out. On account of this we were
always styled by the natives the Puggrie Wallahs (turbaned men).

145

CHAPTER XXI.

ATJEUNGABAD. — MY FIRST CHARGE.

At Ahmednugger we were joined by Captain Wooll-
combe's battery of European horse artillery and the
24th Bombay Native Infantry. There were unpleasant
rumours floating about concerning this regiment — that
the men were insolent, ready for an outbreak, and re-
fused to march unless served out with ball ammimition,
which had hitherto been withheld from them from the
dread, perhaps, of what might take place in the event
of their proving disloyal.*

Whether there was any truth, or not, in these
rumours we — the troops — had no means of ascertaining ;
but, true or not, I know we looked on them with a
great deal of suspicion, and, in our own minds, were
fully convinced that they would be about the first
batch of Pandies we should have occasion to practise
our swords upon.

* The reader will please bear in mind that I speak onlj of the
impressions the men entertained; these, no doubt, did the 24th
injustice, as subsequent events appeared to prove.

10

146 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRBTASCHB.

It is a very unpleasant feeling to suspect the loyalty
of those of your own side — to dread that, at some critical
moment, the ones you naturally look to for help should
turn round on you. This was our feeling at that time ;
but I am happy to say we were mistaken, for they
proved loyal under all circumstances during the whole
of the campaign which followed.

We had just filed into camp, dismounted and picketed
our horses, one morning after a long march, and were
waiting for the tents to come up, when news came that
a portion of the Hyderabad Contingent stationed at
Aurungabad — a day's march from where we were — ^were
in open mutiny, and, unless haste was made to succour
the few Europeans at that place, and quell the out-
break, there was no telling what the result would be.

We were immediately ordered to get ready for the
road again, so, giving the horses their feeds and snatch-
ing a hasty breakfast ourselves in the meantime, off we
started once more, forgetting our fatigue in the anxiety
to be at work amongst the mutineers.

It was about 10 o'clock when we neared Aurungabad.
As we came into the station we were met by some
officers of the Contingent. Captain Abbot, the com-
manding officer of the 1st Cavalry, conducted the force
to the lines of the malcontents — ^his own regiment —
leaving a squadron of ours and two guns to guard the
bridge leading to them; this was done to keep the
infantry and artillery of the Contingent in check, in
case they rose with the intention of assisting the muti-
neers of the 1st Cavalry.

AURUNGABAD. — MY FIRST OHARGB. 147

On arriving at the camp we were formed up — 14th
on the left, guns in the centre, and the native infantiy
on the right. The Ist Cavalry were then ordered to
fall in on foot, facing us, which they did, the native
officers only being mounted. They were then ordered
to give up their arms, and the loyal troopers were
directed to fall out and come on our side ; some few
did, but the majority refused either to give up their arms
or come over. It seemed to us that there was too much
talking going on, and reasoning with the mutineers ;
we could also see some of them fiercely gesticulating,
and hear them too. Now, instead of smashing in at
these insolent fellows and polishing them off as he
ought to have done, and which would have saved end-
less trouble. General Woodburn was foolish enough to
give them six minutes to " consider over it " ; and, while
we were burning to get at them, and the guns, pre-
viously loaded with canister, were pointed at them, and
<;ould have swept them off the face of the earth, they
sensibly availed themselves of the six minutes, so liber-
ally given, to mount their horses under our very noses
and escape, we helplessly looking on during the whole
proceeding.

The six minutes having expired, the guns were allowed
to be fired, knocking over a few picketed horses and a
«tray ghoi*a- walla or two. We, also, were now permitted
to charge the empty lines; for by this time most of
the troopers, well mounted as they were on fresh horses,*

* It most be borne in mind that onr horses had marched forty miles
that morning, and that they were naturally pretty nearly knocked up.

10 *

148 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

had disappeared in all directions; we succeeded, how-
ever, in cutting down a few of them, where, but for
the absurd six minutes' law given bj the old lady of a
General commanding, every man of them would have
been accoimted for.

We came back from our charge as black as sweeps,,
heartily cursing the stupidity, or tender-heartedness, of
the old General. I am happy to say that the native
infantry stood firm, though many of us had thrown
uneasy glances in their direction till the affair was
settled.

During the day a great many of the mutineers were
brought in ; some of them were shot by us, the 14th—
I trying my hand once or twice myself at potting them —
some were blown away from guns or hung ; many were
flogged, or punished in other ways, and numbers of them
were disbanded and turned out of the station, to give
them an opportunity of exciting the troops in other
stations who had not yet mutinied, but who were quite
ready at a moment's notice to do so.

Most of the force shortly after proceeded to Jaulna,
to scour the country and to give confidence to the loyal
inhabitants, leaving my troop, numbering about seventy
men, to guard the station, we being left in a bungalow
fortified with a prickly-pear hedge running round the
compound.

I have, in the foregoing, given only my own meagre
description of the affair ; the following extract of a letter
written by a gentleman attached to General Woodbum's
staff, will give a better idea of the affair than I, with

AUBUNGABAD. — MY FIEST CHARGE. l49

my limited opportunities of seeing or knowing, could
possibly acquire : —

" A fine sight — 14tli Dragoons first, then the General
and his staff, then the 28th Native Infantiy, and Captain
WooUcombe's battery last; the rear brought up by a
pontoon train, some twenty elephants, and the baggage,
extending some two miles in length. We came on to Jobra,
and here my mission ended, as the troops were now out
of my district, and, indeed, out of the Company's terri-
tory altogether ; so I went to the General for orders.
Mayne had not arrived ; and as no one present knew the
road to Aurungabad except myself, the General asked
me to go on with them, which I was glad to do, as there
were worse accounts from Captain Abbot. During the
day the General received another express from Abbot,
•which made him determine to get on by forced marches.
We got into Aurungabad at 10 a.m., and Abbot and his
•officers came out to meet us. Mayne had joined us just
before. It was, fortunately, a cool morning, or man and
horse would never have got through the work cut out for
them. Well, Abbot told us that things were in a most
unsatisfactory and critical state ; that since the ladies had
left, the officers had lived barricaded in the mess-room ;
and that there was reason to fear not only the statmch-
ness of the cavalry, but of the infantry and artillery also.
He said that we were quite unexpected, and that the
best thing would be to march up to the cavalry intrench-
ments at once and surprise them. The General consented
to do so at last. We found some good camping-ground
for the force on the Nuggur side of the cantonments.

160 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHB.

and we inarched on towards the mutineer's lines (Isi
Cavalry pickets).

*' Two guns and a squadron of the dragoons were left
to guard the bridge, in case of a rising of the Nizam's
artillery or infantiy ; and we went on up to the cavalry-
lines, which we reached at 12. A long line of white tents,,
with horses picketed in front, showed us where ttey
were ; and the General galloped over the ground to
select a good position. All the officers were, of course,
with their regiments, so that on the General's stafE were
only his aid-de-camp (Macdonald), Deputy Adjutant-
General Coley, Mayne, Abbot, and myself. The cavalry
bugles were sounded, and men ordered to fall-in on foot,,
except their mounted (native) officers. Abbot then rode
past them, and ordered the few men who had remained
faithful to fall out of the ranks, leaving the mutineers in
a body in front of their lines. The guns of Woollcombe's
battery were then ordered to be loaded with canister,
and drawn up within thirty yards ; and the General, with
Abbot and the other four of us, rode up to the ranks.
Abbot was then ordered to speak to the men, and he did
so, asking them the reason for disobeying orders, and
for mutinying, reminding them that Government never
dreamt of attempting to make them change their religion,,
and of the punishment which awaited them. The mounted
officer (a jemadar) who commanded this troop, and wha
was one of the principal instigators of the affair, here
broke out : * It is not good ; it is all false ! ' Abbot
drew his pistol, and would have shot him as he stood
(for speaking in the ranks is equivalent to open mutiny),.

AUBUNGABAD. — MY FIRST CHAEGB. 151

but the General turned to liini and said, ' Captain
Abbot, I desire that you will not fire on your own men,'
So Abbot put up his pistol, and went on with his harangue.
After another minute the jemadar broke out again, ' It
is not true ; it is all false ! Brothers all, prime and fire ! '*
Upon this, with a crash, out came all their pistols ; and^
had they fired, we six must have fallen, as we were not
five yards from them. My pistol, a revolver, was in my
hand in a moment ; and, as I was next to the jemadar, I :
feel confident I could have shot him before he had time
to raise his. But a panic seized them, and they bolted
towards their lines, and we rode back behind the guns.
WooUcombe had dismounted, and was pointing a gun at
them himself; the port-fire was lighted, and one word
only was wanted to blow every soul of them to the four
winds, and thus strike a decisive and terrible blow, which
would never have been forgotten; but the word was
not given. The General allowed them to get to their
horses; and then, as they stood in a group mounting,
some 260 yards off, Woollcombe ran to another gun, aimed
and pointed it, and, losing his patience at not being
ordered to fire, sung out, * May I fire, sir ? ' If any
answer was returned, certainly no order was given ; and
the rascals got to their horses, and were up and on them
and away in a moment. Then came the order to fire,
just as they were getting under cover of some buildings ;
some twenty-nine shots were fired at them, but without
effect, only killing some few horses and a poor ghora-
walla. The dragoons were then ordered to charge, as
the mutineers had by this time cleared their lines, and

152 SCRAPS FROM MT SABRETASCHE.

were drawn up in a line on a plain to our right, out of
shot of the guns. Forward went the 14th at a gallop ;
and the men of the 1st waited in line till the 14th were
tolerably near them, and then broke up, and each man
tamed his horse's head and dispersed in every possible
direction. The dragoons caught and cut down some half-
a-dozen, and the rest got away.

" Towards the evening, nearly seventy of those who had
escaped were taken or given up; and this reduced the
number of those who had actually got away to about fifty-
five. The jemadar who had first drawn his pistol was
missing altogether, and no tidings could be got of him,
though the General was most anxious to secure him. Had
the guns opened upon the rascals directly they drew their
fire-arms, not one could have escaped ; and a blow direct
and decisive would have been struck, and the mutiny in
all probability quelled, in these parts, at all events. All
were disappointed at the result, and particularly as the
General had them so entirely at his mercy."

V

153

CHAPTER XXII.

HARINI.

The troops started on their expedition, and left ns to
liold a sort of check over Aurungabad till reinforcements
came preparatory to a move up the country on a lai^er
scale.

This was not bj any means a pleasant position, cooped
up in a bungalow whose only fortification consisted of
a prickly-pear hedge, in the neighbourhood of a large
city well-known to be swarming with disaffected or dis-
banded troops and hudmaaheay who, after the recent terrible
•examples shown to some of their numbers, could not
reasonably be supposed to be very friendly to us
J'eringees.

Aurungabad is essentially a Mussulman city, second
•only to Hyderabad, the capital of the country, which is
<!alled a Mahomedan state, that is, governed by a
Mahomedan prince, styled a Nawab (though the majority
of the inhabitants are Hindoo), in contradistinction to
those states which are governed by Hindoo or Maratha
potentates.

154 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHB.

It was a " native state," or one not directly under the-
control of the British, except in so far as having a
Eesiden staying at the capital, and of being compelled
by treaty to equip and arm a certain number of troops,,
commanded and officered by British officers. These were
called contingent troops ; and, on emergency, were liable
to be called on by the British Government to serve ; but,
on the contrary, we had to turn out against some of them,
as the foregoing chapter has shown.

The city of Aurungabad, as near as I could guess,
would probably contain about 200,000 inhabitants ; these,
not having had many opportunities of cultivating the
acquaintance of Kafirs and Feringees, naturally looked upon
us as intruders.

The same narrow, dirty streets and bazaars, that one-
sees in every native city, were to be seen in this one.
It contains the ruins of Aurungzebe's beautiful palace
and gardens ; and it also possesses a magnificent building
called the Fakir's Tomb, which appeared to me to be a
fac-simile of the Taj at Agra, but that this (the Fakir's
Tomb) was chunaniy while the Taj is of white marble.

I used nearly every day to ramble into the city,
regardless of the prohibition to go there, or the scowling
looks of the inhabitants. Perhaps, I put a good deal of
faith in my knowledge of the language, and the facility
with which I could pass myself off as a Mussulman ; for,
if asked, I used generally to do so, palming myself oft
as a veritable hajee, who had made his pilgrimage to the-
tomb of the Prophet, and was entitled to wear the green
turban. This would invariably cause me to be treated

I

HARINI. 165

with marked respect; for, in addition to being able ta
speak the language tolerably well, I could read and write
it with ease.

While strolling through the city one day, I was
attracted by a pair of the most lustrous black eyes I had
ever beheld ; not your great staring black ones like beads
or doll's eyes, with no expression in them whatever, but
eyes of such dazzling brightness, such a liquid depth,,
such rayishing sweetness, so soft and winning, yet
withal so wicked, that I was thoroughly captivated by
them. Those eyes were owned by a little Mussulmani
damsel, whose face I could not properly see, as she
modestly concealed the lower part by drawing a portion
of her veil over it with one of the smallest of hands,,
dimpled like a baby's. She wore trousers, which, being
drawn close to the ankle, disclosed the tiniest of
stockingless feet thrust into pretty little embroidered
papooshes.

But those eyes, go where I would, — and I was irresist-
ibly compelled to follow her — were perpetually meeting
mine. I followed her about till she proceeded homewards,,
and I saw her safe in what I concluded to be her house^
which was a large one with the usual amount of dead
walls and small loop-holes, with which the houses of
wealthy Mussulmans are distinguished. I lingered about
the house, hoping to catch another glance of her through
the loop-holes ; but, not being rewarded with one, I
returned home to the bungalow, only to dream of bright
eyes, small hands, bare feet, loop-holes, and budmashes.

The next day, haunted by the recollection of yesterday's-

156 SCRAPS FROM MY SABEETASOUB.

yision, I went into the city again. Instead of rebels and
budmashes, it might have been swarming with incarnate
fiends, and I would still have gone. What did I care
for budmashes, or any other mashes, so long as I could
only see those eyes again ! I saw her soon after, accom-
panied by her old duenna, and I went through yesterday's
programme : following her about, meeting her eyes oc-
casionally, and seeing her home ; but rewarded this
time by a wave of her little hand through one of the
loop-holes.

This sort of thing continued for some time, I becoming
more and more infatuated every day ; so much so, that
I composed poetical effusions by the yard, which I used
to put into the best Hindustani I could muster. Some
idea may be formed of how far I was gone by the
following specimen, which I named " Wants and Wishes."
The reader is earnestly requested not to laugh, for I can
assure him or her that I was perfectly serious at the
time. As far as I remember, some of the verses ran
thus: —

Oh I for a small white hand to press,

And that dear hand be thine I
To feel an answering caress,

Whene'er that hand touched mine.

Oh I for those black and lustrous eyes,

Brighter than stars aboye I
To see them speak their words, their sighs ;

For eyes can speak of love.

That last idea I thought a masterpiece. But I will not
inflict the whole of the seventy-three verses on the reader ;
43uffice it to say they were all in a similar strain

I

HAEINI. 157

to the two preceding verses, and concluded with the
following : —

But what I want most is the heart ;

Tes, *tis for that I pine.
Give me the whole — nay, but a part,

And all the rest are mme.

How avaricious ! When I look back on this production^
it seems to me as if I must have been somewhat of a can-
nibal, and was trying to get hold of a tit-bit, preferring
the heart, of course, to any part of the human frame.

She used now, I could see, to come out expressly to
meet me, and would smile when she saw me, letting me
see it, too, by coquettishly dropping her veil from the
lower part of her face ; and I even succeeded in putting
some of my Hindustani effusions into her hand, which
she had tact enough to receive without attracting the
attention of the duenna — though after-reflection convinced
me that the old lady thought it advisable not to see such
trifles.

One afternoon, after following her to her home, I was
gratified to see her hand appear through the loop-hole as
usual ; but, after waving it, apparently to attract my
attention, she closed it, again opened it as before, and
then pointed downwards to a little door in the dead wall.
This operation she repeated three times, as if to impress
it on my mind. I interpreted these signals to mean, " Be
at the little gate at 10 o'clock to-night," and went home
fully convinced in my own mind that I had translated
them properly; and equally determined to be there, in
spite of orders, hvdmashes, or the devil himself.

168 »OKAPS FROM MY SABEETASCflE.

Accordingly, after watch -setting, I put on a civilian's
overcoat I had ; took my bare sword-blade, which I con-
cealed under it, with the hilt in my hand, and went to
the sentry on the main- gate, who readily passed me out —
in fact, being a bit of a favourite with the men, I don't
think a man of the troop would have refused me egress
or ingress at any hour, in spite of orders to the contrary ;
for they knew, whatever little peccadilloes I might be
engaged in, I was always sober; and if it came to
anything in the shape of blows, I had all my wits about
me, and was well able to take care of myself. Simply
remarking, " Hallo ! what 's your game to-night ? " he
allowed me to pass out.

On my way to the city I weighed the probable danger
I might plunge myself into — (for, take it how I would, I
knew it to be dangerous) — against the bright eyes of my
inamorata ; and truth compels me to admit that the latter
triumphed, as they ought to, of course. However, should
anything happen, I had my sword-blade ; I could use it
too ; and I thouglit, as I went along, that half-a-dozen
budmashes would not stop me from getting to that little
gate in the wall. By heavens ! I believe if fifty were in
the way I should have a go in at them !

Nothing of the sort took place. I safely threaded the
dark narrow streets without meeting a soul, till I came to
the little door. By this time it must have been about
ten ; so, after waiting in the shadow of the wall for a
few minutes, I gently pushed the door ; it was open, and
I hastily ensconced myself inside. I had hardly done so,
when I felt my sleeve pidled by some one ; it was a little

HABINl. 169

-girl, who intimated by signs that I was to follow her.
Grasping my sword with my right hand, and my left
being held by the little girl, I was led through several
dark passages and up a flight of steps, till we came to a
sort of hall or lobby. A small lamp, in a niche in the
wall, showed some curtains on the left-hand side of the
landing. These my little guide drew aside, and disclosed
a gloomy looking room — at least as far as light was
concerned, for when we entered I could feel there was
carpeting on the floor.

The little girl signed for me to remain there, while
she went into an inner room, which was also screened
off by curtains. I could hear a sort of suppressed shuffle
— if the reader knows what that is — and in a few
moments the little girl re-appeared at the opening of the
curtains, and beckoned me in.

My heart beat audibly as I entered the room occupied
by her. I should at length see her, and be able to tell
her — Kafir as I was — in her own language how I loved
her ; how her bright eyes had enslaved me ; how — psha !
— I entered. There she sat on some cushions, in a sort of
recess. I knew it was her, though I could not see her face,
which was hidden by her two little hands. I instinctively
dropped my sword-blade, which I had carefully treasured
np till this, and, throwing myself on the cushions beside
her, I poured out a perfect torrent of incoherent language,
in which the words dil, jpyar, pyara, &c. were largely
employed.

I had previously conned over in my own mind some
high-flown oriental figures, which I fancied I could use

160 SOEAPS FROM MY SABBETASOHB.

to great advantage, such as some of the beautifal verses
of the Persian poet Hafiz : —

Jab 86 lagi teri ankiyan,
Dil ho gea diwani ;
Tn Leila hain, main Majnoo ;
Ta Shera hain, main Kujnoo ;
Tn gnl hain, main bnlbnl ;
Tn sh^sh, main pnrwana.

Since I felt the influence of thine eyes,

My heart has become mad ;

Thou art Leila, I am Majnoo ;

Thou art Shera, I am Kujnoo ;

Thou art the rose, I am the nightingale ;

Thou art the lamp, I am the moth.

Pooh! What was Leila? A regular old hag, by the
side of my little Leila, or whatever her name was ! Who
was Shera? A perfect harridan, that would bear no
comparison with my Shera! As for Mujnoo and Kujnoo
they were milk-and-water characters, who were per-
petually whining about love, but never had the courage
to tell the objects of it to their faces that they loved;
bleating their love to strangers, and keeping those who
ought to have known it, in ignorance.

Li short, I found my own natural way of expressing
myself in Hindustani, incoherent though it might have
been, was thoroughly appreciated. I question if many
Moslem young ladies had ever had a lover so energetic
in language, or action either; for, on perceiving, after
all my rhapsody, she still concealed her face in her
hands, I concluded the best way would be to attack
any undefended place with kisses, the best weapon I
could think of; this would naturally draw the hands to-

HAEINI. 161

that point to protect it, whicli would as naturally leave
some other place exposed.

This was really delightful occupation, and exhibited
a great knowledge of attack and defence on both sides,
and I indulged in it with great zest, murmuring, as I
attacked each undefended spot, some such word as pyara
or diUkkoosh, till, happening to raise my eyes, I saw my
little guide, and another little girl I had not observed
before, staring on and contemplating this scene with
evident gusto. " Pyara ! " I exclaimed, on perceiving it,
" look at those two little girls ; are you not afraid they
will betray us ? " " Fear not," said the girl, " they are
mutes ; they cannot, even if they wished."

These were the first words she had spoken, and certainly
her voice did not belie her eyes, for it was as sweet as
they were bright. Bulbuls are generally put down as
having the sweetest voices par excellence ; but I maintain
that the notes of a bulbul would bear no more comparison
to the voice of my little one, than would the scream of
a pea-fowl with the whooping-cough to the mellow notes
of a bulbul.

The circumstance of the mutes having caused her to
open her lips, we now began to converse a little, and by
degrees I gathered all the particulars of her version of
our acquaintance, from the day she first saw me till the
present time; and I frankly own, that when, on my
pressing her, she hid her darling head in my bosom, and
whispered that she loved me, I did feel immeasurably
delighted ; for it w a delightful thing to be told one is
loved, especially when the dear one who tells you so has

11

162 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABRETASCHE.'

a handsome form, bright eyes, winning voice, and all the
accessions which enhance the value of such a confession.
**0h! if there is a paradise on earth, it is this! it is
this ! " Those who put that sentence up in the hall of the
palace at Delhi could not have been good Mussulmans, for
they evidently forgot the houris who form the greatest
attraction of a Mahomedan paradise.

Each night found me in the hovdoir of my little hourly
the fair Harini (Fawn) ; for this I found to be her name,
and a charming one I thought it, too, and very applicable,
both as regarded her eyes and her fawn-like ways. I
made great friends, too, with the little mutes by my kind
manner to them ; they were not in the least afraid of the
savage Kafir, Well might they be called mutes ; for the
poor little things had had their tongues cut out in
infancy, and they could not tell anything, as my Harini
had truly said.

I had often heard or read of mutes, but I had never
before had an opportunity of seeing them ; it not being
a general thing for an Englishman to be doing the
amiable in a seraglio. I must remark here, that, during
the whole of my visits, I never once saw the old duenna
who had formerly accompanied Harini to the bazaar, nor
did I feel sufficient interest to inquire ; suffice it, that I
nightly indulged in my terrestrial paradise, and the more
I saw of the little Harini, the more I felicitated myself
on my acquisition, and became charmed with her. As
or the danger of going there, I had utterly forgotten all
about it ; or was, perhaps, rather reckless concerning it,
though I still carried my trusty sword-blade.

k

HABINl. 163

One night I was proceeding as usual to tlie residence
of my Dulcinea, and was within some two or three
hundred yards of the place, when, passing down a narrow
lane, I was stopped by a woman, who, in the most
earnest manner, begged me not to go to the place where
I went every night, as a party of hudmashes were lurking
in the neighbourhood with the intention of murdering
me. This intelligence somewhat startled me, but I still
felt inclined to proceed, and, in a tone of bravado, showing
her my sword-blade, exclaimed, " What do I care for
hudmashes, while I have this ? " " Ah, Sahib ! " said the
woman, " what would be the use of your sword against a
dozen tulwars? You have been watched coming here
every night, and you would only recklessly throw your
life away if you attempt to proceed. For AllaVs sake,
turn back while there is yet time."

I was not so foolish as not to perceive that my best
course was to take her advice, which I did, with great
reluctance ; first ofEering the woman a rupee for her
kindness in giving me this information, without which
I should probably have " lost the number of my mess,"
and this valuable work would never have seen the light.
The rupee she peremptorily refused, affirming that she
did not tell me for gain, but to save my life. Grateful
to her for her kindness, and wishing her to have some
souvenir of my gratitude, I gave her a kiss, which she
unresistingly accepted. I then, with a heavy heart, turned
on my heel, and, as the Yankees say, " commenced
making tracks " for home.

Here was a dilemma! My nightly assignations were

11 *

164 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASOHE.

evidently known ; and by those, too, who would scruple at
nothing to stop them. I could see no reason to doubt
the story of the woman ; in fact, the kindness she had
shown to me, a stranger and a Kajvr, elicited my warmest
gratitude, and I felt convinced she had told the truth.
At any rate she knew, and, if she did, what was to prevent
others from being as well informed as she was ? How
about Harini? If our meetings were known, what had
happened, or would happen, to her ? My mind gloomily
ran through long vistas of bow-stringing, tying in sacks,
and throwing in rivers, which I had often heard as being
the fate of delinquents in harems. "Good heavens!
perhaps she has already met her death ! " I inwardly
ejaculated.

I was indulging in these gloomy meditations as I slowly
plodded on my way back, when I fancied I heard the light
patter of footsteps at some distance behind me. I turned
my head and strained my eyes in that direction, but the
night was so intensely dark that I could scarcely see a
yard off. Perhaps it was the woman following to see
me safe out of the city ; perhaps one of those infernal
hudmashes stealing after me, in hopes of getting an
opportimity of giving me a quiet stab in the back. I
was determined to see, so I went first up one street and
down another, through several that did not actually lead
me straight home but tended in that direction, the same
pattering steps still following me.

This convinced me that the steps I heard were not
those of a common wayfarer, for a casual passenger
could not possibly want to wander up and down the

HABINI. 1 65

identical streets that I did ; it must be someone dogging
me. I resolved at least to see who the individual was
who so pertinaciously followed me ; waiting, therefore,
till I came to the next street corner, I turned it sharplj,
suddenly stopped, and drew myself up close to the wall,
ready for a spring on whoever it might be. The person
came to the comer, and was in the act of turning it
when I dashed out, had his throat comfortably in
my left hand, and my sword at his ribs in a moment.
The fellow seemed panic-struck, and before he could
recover his fright I had taken one of those long curved
daggers from his waist and shied it over the wall of
a neighbouring house.

This all passed in much less time than I have taken
to write it. I again grabbed him by the throat, and
seriously contemplated inserting an inch or two of steel
between his ribs; fortunately, as it turned out, I did
not, but, releasing his throat a little, I inquired what he
was following me about for. The fellow seemed too much
frightened to give me any coherent replies; so, giving
him a farewell shake, I again proceeded on my way
homewards.

It must have been getting on for 12 when I ap-
proached the bungalow; when within about a hundred
yards distance from it, the sentry loudly challenged,
"Who comes there?" to which I promptly answered,
^* A friend ! " and confidently advanced in his direction.
As I drew near, I could see the white portico looming
through the darkness, but could not perceive the sentry,
as it was so pitchy black. On arriving at the portico,

166 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

out stepped the sergeant-major and the sergeant of the
guard. " Who's that ? " quoth the sergeant-major.
'' It 's me, corporal," replied I, somewhat taken aback at
being caught. " What are you doing out at this time of
night ?" asked he. " Oh ! a bit of a stroll," I replied,
in an off-handed nonchalant manner, though I began to
perceive I was getting into it very perceptibly.

Turning to the sergeant, he ordered him to take me
to the guard-tent to see what state I was in (i.e. drunk
or sober). Of course, I knew I was perfectly sober, so
I was safe as &ur as that went ; but I had, unfortunately,
the sword-blade with me, which was rather a serious
affair, persons not being allowed to wander out at night
with naked sword-blades instead of walking-sticks. How-
ever, neither of them had yet observed it, and I had hopes
of their not having the opportunity of doing so, as I
intended to rid myself of it as soon as possible. When
I entered the guard-tent, therefore, I quietly dropped the
sword-blade behind the wall of it, unobserved, as I
thought, by the sergeant, and looked at one of the men
as much as to say, ^'Take care of it for me," which I
knew he would do if it were in his power. The sergeant,
however, saw it, and my telegraphing too, as I found
out afterwards, though he pretended he did not. I was
inspected by him, and reported perfectly sober; on which
he was ordered to conduct me to my room a prisoner.

I might have been in my room half an hour — ^not
very cheerful either, considering the occurrences of the
last two hours — ^when I bethought myself of my sword-
blade, and that it would be advisable to bring it away

HABINI. 167

from the guard-tent in case of accidents; so I sallied
out with that intention, but I had not got a dozen yards
from my room when I came plump on to the sergeant-
major and sergeant again. '' Oh ! " cried the sergeant-
major, " breaking your arrest ! " and he called lustily for
two men to take me to the guard-tent, and thither I
was accordingly conducted.

The sergeant-major, who was not a bad sort of fellow
in general, this eyening had, unfortunately for me, been
imbibing slightly; and he had this peculiarity in his
cups — it could not be detected in his manner or conver-
sation, but he was always intensely " duty-struck " at
those times. He started o£E at once to the captain's
quarters, roused him up, and gave such a glowing descrip-
tion of my being out with a drawn sword, and afterwards
breaking my arrest, that I firmly believe he thought I was
a most dangerous character to be allowed to remain loose,
and that the most proper place for me was a cell. He
succeeded in imbuing the captain with the same idea. I
was, therefore, placed in an out-building which answered
the purpose of a prison, and in which one of the muti-
neers of the 1st Cavalry was already confined.

Behold me, then, installed in the same cell with a rebel
who was waiting for death ! A small lamp burning
dimly in a niche in the wall ; he chained up in a corner ;
I stamping up and down the floor ; and a sentry posted
outside with a loaded carbine. There seemed, in spite
of the serious aspect affairs were beginning to wear, some-
thing so absurd and ludicrous in taking such care of
me, that I could not resist roaring out with laughter.

168 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHB.

My fellow-prisoner, wlio hitherto had occupied himself
with intently staring at me from underneath the guUerie
in which he was huddled, wondering probably what crime
I had been guilty of to be considered a fit companion
for him in his retirement, now inquired the cause of my
appearance there. In reply, I gave an account of my
adventure with the sword-blade; the other parts I, of
course, suppressed. This naturally led him to imagine
my proclivities were somewhat truculent, and, on his
questioning me more closely, I am afraid I told him a
vast number of fibs which I will not insert here lest
my character for veracity be questioned.

I thought I had now an excellent opportunity of culti-
vating his acquaintance, and ascertaining how rebel affairs
stood ; I therefore boldly declared I was a rebel, and a
Mahomedan to boot ! This rather surprised my quondam
friend, for he had not, I imagine, met many Feringee
Mahomedans. He proceeded at once to put my religious
principles to the test, and the satisfactory manner in which
I answered his questions apparently convinced him that
I was not only a hond fide Mussulman but a green-
turbaned Hajee.

We were soon on the best of terms, and discoursed
very learnedly on various subjects connected with
Mahomedanism, and the relative merits of the Soonis
and Sheeas. I was, of course, of whatever opinion he
was in this case ; perfectly coinciding with all his views
on the subject. By-the-way, I forget now which he was,
Sooni or Sheea ; but that is immaterial after this lapse of
time.

HABINI. 169

The whole of this I looked upon as a capital joke, for
I naturally concluded I should be released in the morn-
ing ; but I was fated to be most grievously disappointed.
Morning came, and with it, instead of my release, the
order that I was to be kept in the cell till the head-
quarters of the regiment arrived, which was expected in
the course of three or four days with other reinforce-
ments. This was something beyond a joke. The captain,
it seems, thought my adventure so too, and did not con-
sider himself competent to release me under existing
circumstances.

I had now plenty of leisure to reflect over recent events,
which did not tend to make me very cheerful. What
had become of Harini ? What would be done to me on
the arrival of head-quarters ? For, however absurd the
whole afEair might appear, in a military point of view it
was very serious. There was nothing for it, however,
but patience. Those four days seemed interminably
long, but I shortened them as much as possible, and
relieved the melancholy monotony of my thoughts by
talking and listening to my fellow-prisoner.

At length the reinforcements arrived, and immediately
there was a rush of those who had friends in the troop
to the bungalow, to hear the news, and, as a natural
consequence, some of them — not having yet come into
contact with the rebels — came to look at the one with me.
On seeing me also in the cell inquiries would be made
as to what I was doing there, to which I invariably
replied that I was put there to " pump the prisoner," and
the men, knowing I was an adept in the language, went

170 SCRAPS FBOK HT SABBETASCHE.

away perfectly satisfied with my account, till they were
nndeceived by those who knew the real particulars of my
imprisonment.

The morning after the arrival of head-quarters I was
marched a prisoner to the *' office-tent," and charged,
firstly, with " breaking out of cantonments after watch-
setting, and having in my possession a drawn sword," &c.^
secondly, with " breaking my arrest." In reply to these
charges I briefly related the truth, omitting, of course,
the romantic part of the affair. After being severely
reprimanded by the colonel for not setting a better
example to the men, I was released ; very glad to get off
so lightly.

A few days after, a parade of the whole of the troops
took place, to witness the execution of a rebel by blowing
him from a gun. This was my fellow-prisoner. Previous
to being blown away he had to march past the different
ranks, which he did with a firm step and erect carriage.
As he passed by my troop I met his eye, which seemed
to say : " Well, I 'm very glad to see you are all right, at
least." His position and mine, at this moment, reminded
me greatly of the " butcher and baker."

He marched boldly to the gun, planted himself firmly
at the muzzle, remarking that he did not want to be tied*
The word was given, and in a moment my four days^
companion was scattered in every direction.

For the information of readers who may not know how
a man is blown from a gun, I will briefly relate it. The
prisoner is generally tied to a gun with the upper part
of the small of his back resting against the muzzle*

HABINI, 171

When tlie gun is fired, his head is seen to go straight up
into the air some forty or fifty feet ; the arms fly ofE right
and left, high up in the air, and fall at, perhaps, a hundred
yards distance ; the legs drop to the ground beneath the
muzzle of the gun ; and the body is literally blown away
altogether, not a vestige being seen. As there were
several blown away from guns at Aurungabad, some of my
old comrades will remember this particular one, not only
from the fact of my having been in prison with him, but
from the remarkable words made use of by him, and
which were read on that parade : " If I live, I shall be an
avenger ; if I die, I shall die a martyr." '

I never heard nor saw any more of Harini ; what became
of her I suppose I shall never know. More stirring
scenes afterwards caused me to forget, partially, the
circumstances of my adventure with her ; but, even now,
there are times when I recall with a sigh her bright eyes
and winning ways, and I wonder what was her probable
fate. Poor little Harini !

172 SC&APS 7B0M MT SABBETASCHE.

CHAPTER XXin.

LAHORE. BHOPAL CONTINGENT.

OuB force remained in Aumngabad till it was properly
organised for effective work in the field ; we then left,*
proceeding in the direction of Central India; and our
march through the different districts, no doubt, had the
effect of tranquillising the respectable and well-disposed,
and of being a sort of check on the lawless portion of the
various populations.

It is needless to describe the wild and romantic scenery
of jungle, plain, and mountain we passed through, over a
tract of country not often crossed by the British soldier.
Among the many places deserving note may be mentioned
Ajunta, with its ghaut and magnificent scenery ; the
caves of Ellora; the battle-field of Assaye; Aseerghur,
one of the strongest fortresses in India ; and numerous
other places. Suffice it to say that we crossed the
Nerbudda at Hoosingabad, marched on to Bhopal, the

* The let Brigade started for the relief of Mhow on the 12th Jnly.

LAHORE. — BHOPAL CONTINGENT. 173

capital of the petty state of that name, and proceeded to
Sehore, a large town distant from the latter place twenty-
two miles, where some regiments of the Bhopal Contingent
were stationed. Here we halted for a time.

Circumstances afterwards told us why we halted at
that place, but for the present we remained in profound
ignorance, and fancied we were wasting precious time in
inglorious ease when we could be better employed against
the rebels farther up the country, of whose atrocities
rumour brought so many fearful accounts ; but our
superiors knew what they were about better than we did,
as will be seen in the sequel.

One morning at stable-hour we were ordered to have
our arms in the lines, and the horses ready saddled and
bridled; the men were, however, to be strip- shirted, as
was usual at that hour, and busy about the horses, but to
be prepared to mount at a moment's notice. Of course,
we thought something out of the common was afoot, and
speculated among ourselves what the upshot was to be.
While thus engaged, the different regiments of the Bhopal
Contingent marched by the head of the lines, and we
began to suspect that our preparation had something to
do with them, though in what manner we could not
conjecture.

They had no sooner passed the lines than we were
quietly ordered to put on our jackets and arms, and mount.
In a few minutes we had formed up in front of the
lines; we were rapidly "told off," and at once, with the
infantry and artillery belonging to the force, marched off
in the direction the Bhopal Contingent had taken.

174 SCBAPS PROM MY 8ABRETASCHE.

We soon reached a large plain, where we saw the
Bhopal troops going through a field day. It seems the
whole — or some portion, rather — of the Contingent had
previously mutinied, and had assisted in the outbreak at
Indore; but, on hearing of the expected arrival of our
column, had returned to their duty, thinking their delin-
quency would not be discovered, or, if discovered, would
not be punished. They were, however, destined to be
mistaken ; but the difficulty was, to disarm them without
bloodshed or loss to us. Finesse was resorted to to effect
that object, and the result showed that it succeeded to a
nicety.

Brigadier Mayne ordered a general parade of the Con-
tingent, as if for inspection, and putting them through a
field-day. The troops unsuspiciously marched to the
parade-ground, were inspected by the Brigadier, and put
by him through a few manceuvres. We now appeared on
the scene ; and the erewhile mutineers — concluding, pro-
bably, we were to join in the manoeuvres, but had arrived
late — showed no suspicion. The Brigadier then formed
them up in line, and gave the infantry the order to
" pile arms " ; this they did ; he then gave the word
" right-about face," and marched them some distance to
the rear.

This, being a common movement, did not excite their
suspicion ; but no sooner were they a sufficient distance
off, than a portion of our force was rapidly placed between
them and their weapons ; at the same time our guns,
loaded with canister, were turned on their cavalry and
artillery ; thus the whole lot were rendered powerless.

LIHORE. — BHOPAL CONTINGENT. 175

In the meanwhile we had surrounded the parade-ground
to prevent anyone from escaping ; our followers collected
the arms, and placed them in {hackeries that were at
hand ; the cavalry were ordered to dismount, which thej
did most unwillingly, and their horses were led away by
our grooms. The whole of the Contingent were then
ordered to peel off their uniforms, and were marched
prisoners to a camp prepared for them, and strictly
guarded.

As it turned out, it was fortunate this plan of disarming
them was adopted ; for many of the muskets were after-
wards found to be loaded with ball, and, under other
circumstances, probably many lives would have been lost
— and we were not so many in numbers that we could
afford to lose even one through mismanagement or
recklessness. Thus what threatened to be a dangerous
undertaking was accomplished, through tact, without the
loss of a man."*^

Guarding these men caused us a great deal of extra
work, for we were nearly always on duty ; but the arrival
of Sir Hugh Rose, who assumed charge of our force,
soon put a stop to this sort of thing. He at once ordered
a drum-head court-martial to sit for the trial of the
prisoners, and the result of its first sitting was that a
hundred and forty-nine of them were convicted and
sentenced to death. Not a bad beginning.

* I have no means of ascertaining the strength either of onr force,
or that of the Contingent ; but I think they out-numbered ns, which
made the undertaking somewhat hazardous, and, had they known our
intentions, we must have lost many men.

176 SCRIPS PEOM MY SABRBTASOHB.

The carrying out of the sentence was a little out of the
common, so I will relate it as well as my memory will
allow me, and, making allowance for some inaccuracy in
minor details, I think it will be found substantially
correct.

At about 6 o'clock in the evening the hundred and
forty-nine men, pinioned, were marched to the rear of
the camp. They were drawn up in line; facing them,
and but a few feet distant, were the same number of
English infantry — most of them recruits belonging to the
3rd Bombays.* These were placed, each man opposite a
prisoner, and at the word " fire " would each be expected
to "polish off" his man. Behind these, on foot, were
fifty of us (the 14th) ready to give a quietus with our
swords to those of the prisoners who, by accident or
any other cause, should not have received it from the
infantry.

We could easily see that some of the young fellows
forming the firing-party did not half like the job, as it
was the first time they had witnessed the shedding of
blood, or, rather, were to shed blood themselves — especially
in such a manner, face to face — without the excitement
which is felt in a battle, and which takes away all its
horror. It is, I must confess, unpleasant to shed blood in
cold blood for the first time ; one can only become used
to it in time, and then only do it because it is one's duty
to do so. The infantry felt its unpleasantness, I have no
doubt.

* 3rd Bombay European Fusiliers.

%

BHOPAL CONTINGENT. 177

Firing-party and prisoners were facing each other ; the
prisoners thinking, perhaps, of the lives they were so soon
to lose, the firing-party of the lives they were so soon to
take. The word was given. Now came the awkward
part. The rebels knew the words of command just as
well as our own men did, and acted accordingly ; for at
the word " Fire ! " some threw themselves down on the
ground uninjured, the shot passing harmlessly over them,
these prisoners then attempting to bolt — others were, of
course, shot down. On the other hand, some of the
firing-party — ^perhaps from nervousness — missed ; or,
being so close to the men they had to shoot, when they
fired, the wads from their muskets set fire to the muslin
clothes worn by the prisoners, and there were seen men
wildly running about or writhing on the ground in flames.

The sight was very awful, especially as it was by this
time nearly dark, and the men looked just like so many
demons running about. The moment the infantry had
fired they stepped back, and left us to finish the work^
which we did in a very short time, not being very
squeamish over it either, nor missing a man ; for, curiously
enough, when the bodies were counted the next morning
— ^and they presented a most ghastly spectacle, lying
about in every possible position — they were found all cor-
rect, but — there was one over ! Instead of the hundred and
forty-nine bodies there were now a hundred and fifty'! *

* The " one over " was, I believe, a brother of one of the priBonec^,
come to see the last of him, and in the melie must have shared 'his
brother's fate, whether by accident, or purposely, no one knew.

12

178 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABRETASCHE.

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE EESURRECTIONIST.

Shobtly after the last post sounded, and when those
who were off duty had just turned in, as thej thought,
for the night, on the night of the executions described in
the last chapter, we were startled by an alarming
uproar in the direction of the prisoners' camp ; muskets
firing, shouting, yelling, in fact a regular hubbub appeared
to be going on in that vicinity. Of course we were up
in a moment, turned out in no time, and anyhow, — some
even going " Dagobert fashion," — and quickly proceeded
thither to ascertain the cause.

From what could be gathered, it appeared that the
prisoners were struck with dismay on hearing of the
deaths of their hundred and forty-nine comrades, and had
very gloomy apprehensions as to what would be their own
pi;obable fate; thinking, no doubt, that the whole lot
would be polished off by similar instalments. They,
therefore, hastily made up a plot amongst themselves
to attempt escape by seizing a propitious moment and
making a general rush for it. Arming themselves with

THE EESUBRECTIONIST. 179

tent-pegs, lotas,* or anything that came to hand, soon after
watch-setting, thej dashed out on all sides, thinking to
pass the two cordons of sentries that were posted round
their camp ; but the sentries were on the alert, and shot
them down or bayoneted them in all directions, and,
with the assistance of the troops from our camp, succeeded
in beating the remainder back, so that I do not think one
man escaped.

The drum-head court-martial sat every day ; as regu-
larly convicted and sentenced detachments of the prisoners
to death, and they were as duly disposed of in various
manners. One day, I remember, there were thirty to be
executed in one batch, of which ten were to be blown away
from guns, ten shot by musketry, and ten hung. They
were marched to the place appointed for their execution.
On the road there, and previous to the sentence being
carried out, one of them, a ferocious-looking Mussulman,
spat up to heaven, cursing the Almighty in a most awful
manner for allowing the Kafirs^ to thus take the lives of
good Mussulmans ; this he continued till the very last
moment.

The arrangements were soon completed, and, at a signal,
ten men were blown away from the guns and sent flying
into the air, ten dropped under the fire of musketry, and
ten swung on the branches of a convenient tree, kicking
against time till death put an end to their struggles. To
those who have not witnessed such scenes the account

* Small brass vessels for water, &c
t Unbelievers, infidels.

J2

180 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

only must appear revolting in the extreme ; it is never-
theless true, and to us then it was simply so many muti-
neers the less to have to look after, and we were glad
to see them thus summarily and rapidly disposed of.
The bodies — portions only of some of them — were col-
lected, thrust into a hole, and hastily covered over, and
we returned to the camp.

I may remark en passant that of the many executions
I have witnessed I have never seeu one man who feared
or shrank from death; in fact, most of them seemed
rather to glory in it — the mode of death, apparently, being
the all-absorbing question, not death itself. Thus, to
die by being blown away from a gun, or shot by
musketry, would be deemed honourable, and would be
met without the slightest sign of fear. This callous-
ness of death is the more remarkable, as the same man
who would meet it so readily and cheerfully would not
do so if he was sentenced to be hung; and he would
probably bellow like a bull, and evince the greatest
cowardice, if one but gave him a box on the ear. How
this paradox is to be explained I have not the least idea —
except in the case of hanging, which is a disgrace — and
leave it to others to account for this singular combination
of bravery and cowardice.

Now one of our men, an Irishman named O'Neill (not
the Pat 0*Niel of a former chapter), having an eye to
business, had noticed that some of the executed men had
jewellery on their persons. He had noticed, too, that
this was buried with them ; and he conceived the
design of enriching himself by unearthing the bodies and

THE BBSURBECTIONIST. 181

appropriating the jewellery for his own private benefit.
He, therefore, procured a shovel, and about 11 o'clock
that night he sallied out to the place where the bodies
were buried.

He soon discovered the grave, and at once set to work
at removing the earth. He himself describes the night
as *' a beautiful dark night wid just a slight taste of a
moon hid behint the clouds." He toiled away at his horrible
work, sweating at every pore ; not so much from the
labour, though that must have been arduous, as from the
** sort of dhread that was over me," as he expressed it.
In spite of his " dhread " he soon got down to the bodies,
and was about to pull one out of the confused heap,
when he heard some heavy breathing behind him.
He dropped the body in great trepidation, and, turning
round in the direction of the sound, he saw a monster
with a large horned head standing on the brink of the
grave and looking down on him at his work. For the
moment he firmly believed it was the devil who had come
to witness his nefarious proceedings, and was terribly
alarmed, or, as he says, " I felt as wake as wather." A
little consideration and closer observation, however, as
he grew bolder, convinced him that it was only a hackrie
bullock. Recovering from his fright he again went on
with his ghastly work, till, stamping by accident on the
stomach of one of the corpses, it gave such an awful
groan* that O'Neill clambered out of the grave and took

* The man's own account ; such a circumstance is, I believe, easily-
accounted for.

182 SCRAPS FROM MT SABEETASCHE.

his way back to his tent faster than he left it, giving
over all thoughts of obtaining the jewellery he had so
much coveted, and been at such trouble to obtain. As he
said afterwards, '' I didn't so much mind the cow wid its
horns, though that at first sthruck me all of a hape, but,
bedad ! whin I hard the black divils benathe me com-
mince to groan, I hopped out of the hole and was ofE like
a * red-shank ! ' " It is needless to say that he was often
afterwards roasted for his resurrectionist adventure.

^

183

CHAPTER XXV.

EATGHUR. — SAUGOR.

" A ETJPEB I knock that fellow out of the embrasure ! "

Bang ! Off went the gun, pointed and fired by the
individual who made the foregoing remark — or, rather,
offered to make the above bet — and away went the shot
plump into the embrasure, to the great admiration of the
bystanders, and "that fellow" disappeared; whether
"knocked out" by the shot, or anticipating such a pro-
ceeding if he did not " clear out " of his own accord, and
precipitately doing so for fear of that result, we had no
means of ascertaining.

Sergeant-Major Murphy was in command of the guns
belonging to a " bullock battery " * of the Bhopal Con-
tingent attached to our force ; and he took as much pride
in those guns as if they beloi^ed to a crack battery of
the R. A. He was proud of the guns ; of his men — even

^ -..-^1- ■■.-■■,_■ , .■MM. , ■■■■-■ II ai^g,

* Batteries in which guns, ammunition-waggons, &c. are drawn onlj
by bnllocks ; these, from their size, strength, and docility, are often,
in some cases, found to be more serviceable than horses, and are much
cheaper, and giye less trouble.

184 SCBAPS FROM MY SABEETASCHE.

though thej were " onlj nagurs " ; of the verj bullocks ;
but, above all, of his skill as a marksman.

It was a treat to hear him stimulate his men on to
increased work with such endearing expressions as,
" Hoop ! Quick ! Go it, ye divils ! Home wid it, blast
yez! or how the blazes do ye expect I can ever hit
anything ! " His men worked away on such occasions
with a rapidity and precision that were truly astonishing,
and looked, stripped to the bufE as they were (it ought
to be rather " stripped to the black "), very much like
the " divils " they were styled by their affectionate
commandant.

Murphy would run from one gun to another as they
were loaded, pointing them carefully himself, and, before
firing, would kindly inform us what damage he was
going to do. " Do ye see that pinnacle there ? Well !
I'm just going to knock it over"; and over went the
object aimed at. " Now, look ! I 'm going to dhrop a
shot among them spalpeens at that corner, and scatter
'em." Scarcely would the words be out of his mouth
when the " spalpeens " were scattered. In fact, so good a
marksman was he, that the rebels in the fort soon found
it out, and were very chary of exposing themselves on the
battlements within range of his three guns.

To account for the position we were now in, and the
gunnery practice of the worthy Murphy, it is necessary I
should " try back a bit." We had marched on to Ratghur
a few days before, skirmishing as we drew near the fort,
and losing one man after we had drawn up under its
walls, by a shot from a matchlock fired from one of the

KATGHUli. 185

houses near. This poor fellow was the first man we lost,
and his death left a widow in the regiment to mourn his
loss, and get married again as soon as she posisibly could.
There was a good deal of desultory popping going on,
soon after we had pitched camp, and during the first
portion of the night ; shots coming from the rebels con-
cealed in the jungle near it. This was, however, eventually
put a stop to, and those who were not on duty turned in
and slept, confident of the vigilance of those who were
on duty.

The next day the fort was partially invested by some
of our troops, while the remainder stayed in camp. I
went out on picket near the fort, and really I quite
enjoyed it. The weather was delightful ; we were located
under some trees — always ready, man and horse, for what-
ever might turn up. Our work was not very heavy ; it
consisted principally in watching Murphy and his artillery
practice ; lying down in the shade and smoking our pipes,
or eating our meals ; varied now and then by going on
sentry. In short, it was quite a pic-nic party for us,
as the nature of the ground round the fort would not
allow us to be of much service, beyond doing outlying
pickets, &c. As for the infantry, they were at some other
places, so I had no opportunity of observing them or
their proceedings.

On the 28th January the camp was attacked by the
rebels ; these were held in check by the pickets till help
came, when the rebels were driven back with the loss of
a good many men. The fort was captured, most of the
enemy having previously evacuated it. As I did not go

186 SCRAPS FBOM MY SABBETASCHE.

into its interior, I can form no idea of what it was like ;
but, judging by its exterior, I should say that it would
take a strong force to capture it if properly manned and
defended.

One of the Delhi princes — ^Fasil E[han, if I remember
rightly — was captured in the jungle shortly afterwards
under rather peculiar circumstances, which I will en-
deavour to relate. He had escaped from the fort on one
side while the other side was being attacked, and was
hiding in the jungle waiting for a favourable opportunity
to get clear away. This, considering his gorgeous apparel
— which he had no means of changing — and the danger
of falling into the hands of the Bohillas,* rendered the
prospect of escape somewhat remote.

While skulking about in the jungle, one of the coolies
belonging to the hospital saw him, got into conversation
with him, pretended a kindly interest in him, and, on the
understanding that he should be handsomely rewarded,
engaged to bring the prince a suit of common clothes in

* It was generally b^lieyed that a large body of Rohillas were
employed in connection with onr force, whose duty it was to form a
cordon round the camp, and netting all stragglers who approached it
(if rebels). These Rohillas were allowed five rupees for every head
they brought into camp. Their spoils, in the shape of heads, were
brought in every morning, and duly paid for. This was one way of
catching all straggling rebels, and, no doubt, saved much harassing
work for the pickets and videttes ; but it is probable also that some-
times the head of a harmless villager was brought in for the sake of
the five rupees, as I cannot see how the authorities could detect the
difference between the head of a villager and that of a rebel. This
system was said to be carried on, but whether it really was so I am
not in a position to. say.

RATGHUB. 187

place of the handsome ones worn by him ; and, in
addition, he undertook to supply the prince with a donkey,
80 that he might pass off as a villager. All these arrange-
ments having been satisfactorily settled, the coolie returned
to camp, leaving the prince anxiously awaiting his return
with the suit of clothes and the donkey.

On reaching the camp, the coolie, thinking it might
be more to his advantage to report the circumstance, did
so. He was directed to keep his promise with the prince^
but at the same time a few of our men were also directed
to accompany him a short distance in his rear. The
coolie found the prince, who quickly put on the clothes
provided for him in place of his own, mounted the
donkey, and was led by his treacherous guide to the
place where the dragoons were in waiting for him. He
was made prisoner ; and, wearing the dirty clothes of a
menial, and riding a donkey, the prince was safely con-
ducted to the camp, where Sir Hugh Rose, after lecturing
him a bit, ordered him to be hung over the gateway of
the fort of which he had so recently been governor. He
was at once marched off, and the sentence carried into
effect.

On the 31st the greater part of our force proceeded to
Barodia, where we had an action with a large body of
the rebels ; these we routed, and returned back to camp
the same evening, somewhat tired with our day's work,
but elated with our success.

On our march to Barodia a circumstance occurred,,
which, though apparently trifling in itself, gave us a high
opinion of the personal courage of our leader. Sir Hugh

188 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASOHE.

Kose, and, perhaps, had more to do with his after suc-
cesses than he or others may have imagined. I know it
made me feel that I would follow him to the devil, if
need be, and I know, also, it was the universal feeling of
everyone under his command.

He was riding with the advance-guard at the head of
the column, which was at the time in the midst of a thick
jungle, and he had gone so far to the front that he was
passing the skirmishers thrown out to clear the front as
well as the nature of the ground would allow, when the
sergeant commanding them, seeing the probable danger
he was in, said, respectfully, " Beg pardon. General, but
you had better let us go first, in case any of the rebels
should fire at you from the jungle." Sir Hugh at once
replied, " Thank you, sergeant ; but I never want anyone
to go in front of wie." This anecdote being repeated,
convinced us of his daring, as his dealing with the muti-
neers at Sehore, and the prince at Eatghur, did of his
sternness and retributive severity.

A few days after we marched into Saugor, and as we
passed under the walls of the fort we were greeted by the
ladies, who thronged the battlements, with the waving of
hands and handkerchiefs (I will not be positive that they
did not even cheer us), and our bosoms swelled with pride
to think that our timely arrival had saved these, at least,
from the clutches of the rebels. This was something to
be proud of ; for the poor creatures had been shut up in
the fort for some months, surrounded on all sides by
mutineers, and during the whole of that time must have
been a prey to the greatest anxiety as to what would be

SAUGOE. 189

their certain fate if no help came. Eatghur being only
twentj-two miles distant, thej had heard our guns pound-
ing away, and, no doubt, fervently prayed for our success.
As soon as we had settled with the rebels in that neigh-
bourhood — and we were obliged to clear them off as we
went — ^they were gladdened by the sight of our force
marching to their rescue.

We had afterwards to avenge the deaths of those
murdered at Jhansi and other places, and there was &
stem pleasure in doing so, too ; but this was a greater
pleasure, for we had arrived in time to save instead of
to avenge, and had successfully effected the " Eelief of
Saugor."

190 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABRETASOHE.

CHAPTER XXVI.

MALTONE.

Pkbvious to quitting Saugor for Jhansi, whither we were
ultimately bound, it was necessary that the country
round about it should be thoroughly cleared of rebels, and
detachments were sent out to several places in which
were bodies of these worthies, for that purpose.

A strong force under Sir Hugh Eose also marched on
to a fort named Gurracotta ; this fort was in a very
commanding position, and was manned by two complete
regiments of Bengal mutineers (the 51st and 52nd), a
large number of mutineers from other regiments, and cut-
throats of ^very description and caste, so that we might
expect some tough work.

Our long and tedious march was made longer by the
many delays on the road, as well as from having to pro-
ceed very slowly, skirmishing a great part of the way, and
halting occasionally to hang or shoot a few of the rebels.
We reached the fort towards evening, tired as dogs, and
opened on the place next morning. The mutineers replied

MALTONE. 191

with vigour, not only with their guns, but they actually
made a rush for our guns. They went back, however,
minus some of their number, quicker than they came.
In this case, as at Eatghur, after blazing away at the
fort for a couple of days, the enemy thought it best to
flit, which process they speedily put into execution ; but
did not get off scot free, for they were pursued, and a
good many of them cut up by the Hyderabad Cavalry.

Gurracotta was a very strong fort, an.d might safely have
defied our force for a long time, had the rebels only had
the pluck to remain and properly defend it. It was found
to be well- stored with provisions, there being immense
quantities of grain, flour, <&c., and a miscellaneous collec-
tion of all sorts of loot, evidently derived from English
sources, i.e. plundered from English houses.

To prevent the rebels congregating there again, part of
the walls were blown down ; the work of partially dis-
mantling the fort being completed, we returned to Saugor,
where we rested while the materiel requisite for our cam-
paigning further north was being got together. Daring
our stay, too, we made ourselves useful by hanging a few
notorious characters up to dry, on one occasion five in
a row.

Early on the morning of the 27th we started for Jhansi.
We had no sooner quitted the camp than notice was
given by rockets being sent up from the city ; so that the
rebels were informed of the exact time of our departure,
and could take their measures accordingly.

The next morning, when we started, the same process
was repeated, and beacon fires were lighted at intervals

192 SCRAPS FROM MT SABRETASCHE.

on both sides of our line of march till daylight, which
showed that we were pretty carefully watched, and the
enemy could make no mistake as to our whereabouts.
This must have been annoying to the General, but there
was no help for it. Several of the parties who lighted
the beacons were captured by our men, but they put on
an air of simplicity and made excuses which seemed to
satisfy the authorities — at any rate they did not hang
them — though if the men had been left to their own
resources the wretches would have had but short shift.

On the 3rd of March the main body of our force, under
Sir Hugh Rose, had a severe encounter with the enemy
at Mudanpore Pass, in which they, lost a great many
men, and out of which we did not come entirely scathe-
less, several being killed and wounded, and the Greneral
having his horse shot under him. It was, however, a
most dashing affair, the General routing the enemy,
forcing the pass, and achieving a brilliant victory over
them.

On this occasion a portion of the force in which I
was, under Major Scudamore, was detached from the
main body, and ordered to proceed to a place called
Maltone, to prevent the mutineers from escaping in that
direction ; but, excepting a few shots fired at us from
some hills covered with jungle on our right, it was
nothing more to us than a common march ; though, no
doubt, our movement had the effect intended, keeping
the rebels in the bounds prescribed by the General for
them. We encamped at Maltone, left a few mementoes
of our having been there hanging on trees, and the

SPIES. 193

next day marched to join the other portion of the troops
under Sir Hugh Eose.

Late at night, while at Maltone, two spies were caught
in our camp, these were handed over to the rear-guard,
of which I was corporal ; and they were entrusted to me
with strict injunctions not to let them escape on the road.

There was not much danger of that; I planted the
two spies between a file of the guard, with orders to knock
them over if they attempted to escape, and I myself rode
in rear of them with the same amiable intention.

One of the spies was a powerful, brawny-looking
fellow with a villainous aspect, and a cunning leer of
the eye ; one who would evidently not stick at trifles,
and who would be an awkward customer in an encounter.
He had the shaven head of a priest, but'he did not look
it by any means. By the squareness of his shoulders,
expanded chest, and upright gait, I should say he had
been a sepoy, whatever he was now, spy, sepoy, bud-
mash, or priest. The other prisoner was quite a lad,
with nothing remarkable about him, except that he was
perpetually glancing round furtively, as if he expected
to see some one, and was annoyed at the non-appearance.
This conduct I put down as suspicious-looking.

We jogged along at the rear of the column for some
time, when I perceived that we had gradually and im-
perceptibly increased our distance from the main body,
till we were, as the sailors have it, "a long way astern."
I at once ordered the men to close up by increasing the
pace ; but, no ; the more I tried to hurry them on, the
more the infernal priest seemed determined to lag behind,

13

194 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

I could plainly see there was nothing to prevent him?
from keeping up with the column, for he was young,
strong, and fresh ; so that, unless he purposely lagged,
in hopes of getting so far in the rear that we might
perhaps be cut off, I could conceive no other reason for
it. After a while, finding words were only thrown away
on this individual, I touched him up in a fleshy part
with the point of my sword, just to liven him up a bit
and spur him on to an increased pace.

It was worth a trifle to hear the yell he gave on
receiving this piece of attention, and the look of rage
and hatred he favoured me with, as he darted off at
an increased rate of speed for a short time. He, how-
ever, soon forgot his " pricking up," and reverted to his
former dawdling pace. As nothing would induce him
to hurry up, and as he appeared bent on getting us as
far as possible in the rear; irritated at finding neither
words nor grass were of any avail, I tried to force him
along faster by keeping my horse close to his heels.

The horse, as if annoyed at being forced into such
close proximity with a spy, commenced being restive, and
ended in going though a series of buck-leapings, <&c. ; in
one of his plunges he knocked the man down, and fairly
stamped the life out of him, for in less than five minutes
the fellow was dead ; spitting up at me and cursing me
with his last breath.

This put a stop to his going on altogether; first
making sure, however, that he was really dead, I again
started off with the remaining prisoner, who ran like a
greyhound, after witnessing the fate of the priest, and

SPIES. 195

we were not long before we caught up the main body
again.

When we got into camp, of course, I reported the
circumstance of the death of the spy, relating the par-
ticulars, and received the usual reply, "Very good,"
T handed over the other prisoner to the relieving guard,
and never saw any more of him, nor did I hear any more
inquiries concerning the villainous-looking priest.

On the 7th we marched into Murrowra, a large town
belonging to the Eajah of Shahgur, whose state was here
annexed on account of his recent complicity with the
rebels in their fighting against us. It was a pleasant
sight to see the British flag run up over his fort, and
hear, in that out-of-the-way place, the different bands
strike up the national anthem. No Englishman, who has
not heard that soul-stirring strain in far distant lands, or
under similar circumstances, can imagine the effect it has
on one's mind, bringing every patriotic feeling into play ;
home, country, friends, come vividly before one in the
first burst of that glorious music, and everyone ferventlj
echoes the words of that melodious prayer, " God save
the Queen ! "

On we marched (occasionally hanging a few of the rebels
by the way), the heat daily increasing, till we came to
a place called Chuchunpore, distant from Jhansi about
eight miles. Here the force halted, and after resting
two or three hours we (the cavalry), the horse artillery,
and light field pieces, under Brigadier Steuart, were
ordered to advance on Jhansi, which we did through a
blazing sun, and bivouacked about two miles from the

13 •

196 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

city, being welcomed with some long shots from the
batteries, which, however, at that distance, did no harm.
The next day (the 2l8fc March) the main body, under Sir
Hugh Eose, arrived. He at once proceeded to recon-
noitre the place previous to investing it.

I believe there was not a man of us — as we contem-
plated this stronghold of villainy where so many of our
countrymen and women had been butchered under such
awful circumstances — who did not thirst for the time to
come when he could take vengeance on their murderers,
and who did not inwardly register a vow to do his best
to avenge their unhappy fate. I know I did.

i

197

CHAPTER XXVIL

JHANST. — NO QUARTER.

I AM not sufficiently well up in the topography of the
suburbs of Jhansi to be able confidently to state the
precise spot in which my troop was posted in the invest-
ment of the city ; nor have I the remotest idea where the
other portions of the troops were placed, beyond such
vague directions as the right or left attack. Suffice it,
that we found ourselves located somewhere about a mile
from the city walls ; and that between us and them were
some very pleasant, cool-looking gardens, which formed
an agreeable shade to, and a convenient lurking place for
the rebels to fire at us from, and into which some of us
occasionally went to do a bit of skirmishing, and either
kill them or drive them out.

My troop, the K, under Captain Brown, numbered about
sixty men ; we were expected to cover a certain portion
of the city, to see that none escaped ; or to turn out at
any moment and on any emergency. Consequently, we
were never out of harness ; sleeping in front of our horses,

198 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

which were always ready saddled and bridled — never
having the bits taken out of their mouths, night or day,
except a few at a time for feeding purposes, or to give
them a drink in comfort ; so that it came harder on the
horses than it did on us.

As for ourselves, I don't think we were able to change
our clothes, or have a wash, for about a fortnight, and it
may be imagined that we were rather dirty, and that a
bath would have done the whole of us good ; but we
couldn't even peel off to wash our faces, to say nothing
of the elaborate luxury of a bath. As the old soldier
remarked in a previous chapter, we were "as black as
buck-sweeps" (whoever or whatever they may be). Yet,
somehow, in spite of this and the dreadful heat, none of
us fell sick, and all of us seemed to enjoy the life we
led. I know I did, heartily, and should have enjoyed
it infinitely more if I could have bathed daily.

In the daytime, lounging about in the lines near our
horses was varied by an occasional hurried turn out, or a
skirmish in the gardens ; and it was worth the chance of
a stray shot, to ride under those shady trees, or catch
glimpses of our sunburnt faces and rough appearance in
the crystal waters of some miniature lake, which one
could fancy was the bathing-place of houris. I have
often thought how delicious it would be to have a swim
there; but in general we were too much occupied in
"potting" and "sticking" to think much of houris
bathing, or the beauties of scenery.

Six privates and myself had gone down there one day
in charge of a young Irish officer of my troop, named

NO QUARTEK. 199

Beamisli, and had caught a party of sepoys in a small
building. They had retreated up a narrow staircase,
which was only wide enough for one to go up at a
time, and could easily have kept us at bay if they had
not been apparently panic-struck at our appearance. We
had all dismounted, and our leader was soon busily
^engaged pulling the sepoys one by one down the stairs
by their " hind-legs " (as a comrade observed), and hand-
ing them over to our tender mercies. This amusement
highly delighted Cornet Beamish, who, when he had
finished, declared it was much better fun than " drawing
badgers."

This business being over, we mounted, and were retiring
from the gardens, when a shot was fired at us from the
branches of a large tree under which we were passing,
fortunately without hitting anyone. On looking up, we
saw upwards of twenty armed rebels in the trees, whom
we should have entirely overlooked but for that shot.
We at once dismounted, and set to work at potting them.
This was capital sport — better even than " drawing
badgers " — for they could not get away, even if they
wished it ever so ; and if one was missed by accident, he
was " still to the good," perched on branch, for another
shot. One by one, our human game came down to the
ground with an awful thud; and if they were only
wounded with the shot, the fall from the tree was
quite enough to settle them, without any more of our
assistance.

I had just fired my carbine and brought down a
Btalwart sepoy, when another of the " birds," unperceived

200 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBETASCHE.

by me, slid down a tree, and rushed at me with his drawn
sword. My carbine was discharged; I should not have
time to throw it down and draw my sword ; so I made
the best of it; faced him with my empty carbine, and
easily parrying his blow, dealt him one in turn with it,
driving the hammer right into his temple, at the same
time snapping the stock of my weapon off with the force
of the blow. My shooting was thus put a stop to, but I
deterDiined I would get another fire-arm before I left, and
eventually I secured a blunderbuss which had been pomted
at me — and which, luckily, missed fire — containing about
a quart of bullets; this I took home in triumph, as a
substitute for my broken carbine.

I had an old ghora-walla who particularly delighted in
this sort of work ; and who, I believe, would have gone
through fire and water to serve me — perhaps his own
interests as well. At any rate, I found him of great
service in many ways. For instance, he had managed to
loot a couple of milch cows, and always before the reveille
sounded at morning, on the line of march, he would
bring me a jamhu of warm milk and a chupattie. He
used to ride one of these cows and lead the other, and if
not another ghora-walla was up when we reached camp,
after a long march, my old fellow was sure to be there to
take the horse the moment I stepped out of the saddle.
This in itself was a great consideration, for it is not an
agreeable thing to have to wait for one's ghora-walla, as
anyone who has been on the line of march in India
knows.

The old fellow used to like following me when we

NO QUARTER. 201

went into these garden skirmislies; and if I knocked
over a rebel — wounding him only — he made no bones of
finishing him off bj inserting his long knife in the
fellow's ribs ; at the same time rifling him of anything he
had on his person. The proceeds of his looting he used
fairly to divide with me ; often bringing me, as my share,
gold mohurSf ornaments, <&c. It was a great advantage to
me to have so ready a follower ; for if — as occurred often
— we had to skirmish on foot, he was always there to
take charge of the horse.*

At nights, in addition to the usual sentries and videttes,
perhaps a couple of dismounted parties, of six men each,
and each party commanded by a corporal, would be placed
in ambush, to cut off anyone attempting to escape from
the city. This duty would be carried out so effectively
that the guards, videttes, and ambush parties — generally
numbering only twenty or so — ^would, in one night, show
two or three hundred bodies as the result of their night's
work. I would defy a cat to pass where we were. All the
men used to like this sort of work, as there were some
very nice pickings to be made — everyone endeavouring
to escape from the city always carrying all the money
and valuables they possibly could.

I will try to give an idea how these ambushes, &c. were
conducted. In the lines sentries were always posted;

* The captain afterwards took a fancy to the old fellow through
seeing how carefully he attended me, and took him from me to be his
groom, but the obstinate old man would not serve the captain as well
as he had served me ; and the captain pronounced him a stupid, and
dismissed him, forbidding him to come near the lines.

202 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

near to the gardens a line of mounted videttes were
placed; these either remained stationary, or each one
rode alternately to his right or left-hand man, as the
case might be during the night ; relieved, of course, at
two-hour intervals, and visited often. On each flank of
these was the dismounted ambush, carefully concealed
behind bushes or stones. These would listen intently for
every sound that came from the direction of the city.
By and by a party from thence would be heard stealthily
approaching ; these would be allowed to advance without
interruption till sufficiently near to make sure of them,
when the ambush would give them the contents of the
carbines, and rush out on them sword in hand, and those
who were not knocked over in the discharge, would either
fight or bolt, as the case might be.

This performance might possibly be repeated several
times during the night ; and sometimes as many as fifty
would come at the same time. . This, however, made no
•difference to us, we attacked them all the same, and
invariably got the best of it — as we had the advantage of
them in being prepared, if they had the advantage of us
in numbers.

Sometimes they fought very fiercely, and with all the
energy of despair, and there was quite a miniature battle
going on ; cutting, slashing, firing, shouting — quite a
hubbub. Some of our fellows got very nasty sword-cuts
in these night encounters ; for it is awkward work — in
spite of any amount of skill one may possess with the
sword — to be able to guard one's self with any degree of
certainty, from such indiscriminate slashing and thrusting

NO QUABTEE. 203

in the dark. Those we killed during the night were
collected in the morning, and burnt to prevent any un-
pleasantness arising by letting the bodies lie and get
putrid.

While besieging Jhansi, and during the whole of our
operations there, we had orders to take no prisoners —
in other words, to give no quarter, to kill every man
coming from the city. At any rate, if this order was
not actually issued through the proper channels, it reached
us by other means, and was acted on and carried out to
the fullest extent. Consequently, independent of our
desire to have vengeance on the murderers of our
people, we were not hindered by red-tape from follow-
ing our inclinations that way; and we were not very
particular as to when, where, or how we killed all we
could lay hands on.

One day some of the men caught a priest wandering
about, and, by way of a change, determined to try him
by a " private court-martial." This was very soon as-
sembled, and, after doing a little in the "Judge and
Jury " line, the priest was sentenced to be hung. He
was forthwith dragged to the end of the horse-lines,
where there was a very convenient tree, " built expressly
for a gallows," as one of the men facetiously remarked.

One of the horses' head-ropes was speedily placed
round the victim's neck, and he was hauled up into the
tree. It took the poor wretch a long time to die, he
not having had the advantage of a " drop " ; this was
soon rectified by one of the men climbing the tree,
sliding down the rope, and dropping on the victim's

204 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABRETASCHE.

shoulders, which effectually stretched his neck and put
him out of his sufferings. They then left the man
hanging there, aind retired to the tents, or in front of
their horses, where they soon forgot the revolting tragedy
they had been engaged in.

One of the men, however, thought he would hoax the
man who had finished the scene by sitting on the hang-
ing man's shoulders; so, when he saw the coast clear,
he cut the corpse down, and, the body being yet limp, he
placed it in a sitting posture at the foot of the tree
with its hand to its head, as if scratching it, or as if he
was in a " brown study." He then rushed off to the
executioner, exclaiming, ** I say, Blinkee ! " (the man's
nickname) I 'm blest if the old priest you hung hasn't
got down out of the tree, and he 's sitting at the foot of
it, scratching his head."

" Well, I 'm damn'd ! " cried BUnkee, " I '11 soon make
him scratch his head, to some purpose too ! " and seizing
hold of a tent-peg, he rushed off and gave the corpse a
tremendous blow on the head with it before he perceived
the hoax that had been played on him.

To most readers this scene will appear brutal and
revolting, and it would have appeared so to us under
other circumstances ; but the reader must bear in mind
what had recently occurred to our countrywomen in this
very place, the awful accounts we had heard of what
they had had to put up with before their deaths — of the
manner in which they were finally butchered — of what
we had ourselves actually seen — and the surprize will
cease; or, rather, the wonder is that those we caught

NO QUAETEB. 205

i^ere not treated worse in the desire of gratifying our
vengeance.*

Lest the reader should imagine the above description
to be somewhat overdrawn, it is only necessary to say
that we were placed in a capital position ; that immense
numbers, anticipating the fate of the city, nightly tried
to escape, and were stojp'ped. Some men of my troop
could boast of having killed several hundreds, and (I
say it with great modesty) I killed many more than
one hundred myself during our operations before Jhansi.
It must be borne in mind, too, that no quarter was to be
given, and I don't think many of the men did give much.

The last few words in the previous chapter were " I
know I did '*; the last words of this shall^be, in allusion to
giving no quarter, — ^I know I didn't.

* A good many rebels were executed at Jhansi ; some who had
given themselves np, expecting pardon if they gave all the informa-
tion they could to Sir Hugh Rose. They were disappointed. A story
is told of one who gave himself up, and described the massacre of the
British residents, and the atrocities perpetrated on the unfortunate
women. Sir Hugh Ro^e is said to have listened patiently till the man
had finished, when he inquired, " And you witnessed aU this ? '' The
mdn replied that he had. Sir Hugh at once called for the provost-
marshal, exclaiming, " Take him away, and hang him like a dog ! No
Indian shall live to say he saw an Englishwoman dishonoured and
murdered.*'

206 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

CHAPTER XXVIIL

IN A SCRAPE, AND OUT OP ONE.

In the preceding chapter I liave necessarily confined
myself to what concerned my own troop only, or came
under my actual observation. Our sphere of action
was, however, very limited, and things were hourly oc-
curring at other places of which we had not the slightest
cognizance. For all we knew of what was going on
around us, we might almost as well have been at the
antipodes. People who have never left their own country,
through the medium of newspapers, often are more
familiar with the particulars of a siege or battle than
those actually engaged in them.

All we knew then, beyond our own little skirmishes,
was that there was an incessant pounding going on
day and night in all directions— our side shelling and
breaching, their side answering us and repairing as well
as they could the damage done by our shot.

The shells must have created great havoc in the city,*

* The city contained about 12,000 troops (rebels), and the
number of inhabitants would probably not be oyer-estimated at

IN A SCRAPE. 207

killing numbers of the rebels, to say nothing of the red*
hot shot with which they were regularly supplied, and
which now and then fulfilled their mission by setting fire
to buildings of various kinds, the smoke and flames of
which ascending above the walls of the city testified to
the effect our firing produced.

The inhabitants must have had a wai*m time of it, and it
is not to be wondered at that they attempted to get out of
it ; only, as far as concerned us, they invariably illustrated
the old proverb of " jumping out of the frying-pan inta
the fire " — this they did literally, for their bodies were
burnt every moniing.

About this time we shifted our position, and the
disposition of the troops was materially altered ; for in-
formation reached the General of a large army of rebels,
under Tantia Topi, coming to attack us, and, of course,
rout us, and raise the siege. This advancing army was
the same force that had caught General Wyndham, of
Eedan notoriety, napping, and given him such a lesson
in Indian warfare. But they were not going to catch us
that way; nor did Sir Hugh Eose intend they should
raise the siege either; but, I suppose, the anticipated
arrival of this force necessitated some alteration in the
disposition of our troops round the beleaguered city, in
order to prepare for and ensure them a warm reception.

At night I was corporal of the outlying picket, imme^

100,000. Considering that this was a "native state," where the
majority know something about arms, and that great numbers would
probably use them, some idea may be formed of what we had to con
tend against, our force being about 5,000 of all arms.

208 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASOHE.

diately connected with the portion of the force in which I
was, and it was my duty, alternately with the sergeant,
who belonged to another troop, to visit or relieve the
videttes during the night, and to take them off at dawn.
It fell to my lot to have to do the latter ; but the
sergeant who made the last round of visiting the videttes,
just before daybreak, and who ought to have roused me,
neglected to do so, as we had mutually done to each
other during the night, forgetting all about it, and,
lying down in front of his horse, soon dropped off to
sleep — for it did not, in our cases, take long to perform
that pleasant operation.

Not being roused, I slept the " sleep of the tired,"
till the sun was quite up in the heavens ; when I woke
up of my own accord, rubbed my eyes, stared round,
and, in a moment, not only was wide awake, but was
also awake to the fact that, by over-sleeping myself, I
had kept the videttes on an hour after dawn, and had
unwittingly committed a very grave military crime.*

I immediately jumped on my horse, and trotted off to
bring them in, explaining to each of them in turn the
reason I had kept them on so late. All were satisfied
with my explanation except one man, who, when I
came up to him, pulled out his watch to time me, remark-
ing that I had kept him on duty an hour too long, and
that he should report me for doing so. Irritated at this,

* Videttes should always be brought in at the first break of day
for various reasons; but chiefly, that the enemy should not know
precisely where they are posted during the night, which they would
if the men remained on after daylight.

IN A SCRAPE. 209

when I knew it was no fault of mine, but of his own
sergeant — for the man belonged to the sergeant's troop —
I told him not to talk of reporting me, but to do it when
we got back to the lines, and that I would myself take
him before the adjutant to enable him to do so.*

After picking up all the men, we rode into the lines,
where, seeing the adjutant, I remarked to the man that
he could now report me if he wished ; as he did wish to
do so, I conducted him before the adjutant, and told him
the man wished to make a report against me. The
adjutant inquired of the man what it was, and on being
told it was for keeping him an hour longer on his post
than he ought to have been, the adjutant had no other
alternative than to place me under arrest ; he, therefore,
without more ado, ordered me to mj tent, a prisoner.

I dismounted, and travelled off into my teot, very
much annoyed at the circumstance, but soou did my best
to forget all about it in sleep, and succeeded admirably.
Towards evening, however, things began to assume a
different aspect ; a good deal of buzzing seemed to be
going on in the lines, and there was the unmistakable
sign of preparing for something. The men and horses
were all in readiness, I could perceive, for a sudden turn
out ; for the army of rebels was advancing on to Jhansi,
and might come at any moment, and when they did come
there was sure to be some fighting going on ; while I at

* It is a rule in the service not to threaten ; if a man considers him-
self hardly dealt by, he can always report the circumstance without
talking about it ; or if a man commits an offence, a non-commissioned
officer should not threaten to send him to the guard-room, but do it.

14

210 SOHAPS FROM MY SABRETASOHB.

the same time should be cooped up in a tent, a prisoner,
and out of all the fun of it.

I spoke to the sergeant-major about it, requesting him
to see the captain, and get him to exert his influence with
the colonel to settle mj case summarily, so that I might
be released ; but I was told that the colonel couldn't be
bothered at a time like this, and that I should have to
remain a prisoner till the expected fighting was over.

Not if I knew it, however. I would have been " all
there," even if I had to break my arrest again, of that I
fully made up my mind. I wouldn't have it thrown up
to me, hereafter, that I was absent from a " go-in "
through being a prisoner. I, therefore, ordered the old
ghora- walla to have my horse ready and my weapons in
the lines at his head ; and I myself remained dressed,
ready for anything that might turn up.

The troops were just then ** falling in," and I was
standing at the door of the tent, staring at them, and
ruefully cogitating what I should do, when I saw the
Colonel walking backwards and forwards at the head of
the lines. A bright idea struck me. Why shouldn't I
make a direct appeal to the colonel ? I couldn't be much
worse off than I was at present. I no sooner thought of
this plan than I proceeded to carry it out. Eegardless,
therefore, of military etiquette, or of breaking my arrest
— for it was neither more nor less — and, reckless of con-
sequences, I immediately went up to the colonel, saluted
him, and stood before him as if wishing to address
him.

Colonel Scudamore, who was considered a very stern

OUT OF A SOEAPE. 211

man and a strict disciplinarian, stared at me, and then
abruptly inquired :

" Well, what do you want ? "

This did not look very favourable ; but I began, " Beg
pardon, Colonel, I 'm a prisoner "

" What the devil are you doing here, then ? " inter-
rupted he. After a pause, he said sharply, " What have
you done ? "

I then briefly related the circumstance of my arrest,
and begged him to release me, so that I might be present
at the anticipated engagement, as I should not like to be
absent from it by being left in camp at a time like this.

** That 's all very well," again interrupted he ; " but if I
release you now, I may not be able to catch you again,
and you *11 escape your punishment."

I told him, when the affair was over, if I lived, I would
willingly consider myself still a prisoner, and receive any
punishment he might award me ; that I did not wish him
to release me now to escape merited punishment, but that
I should not like to be absent when an engagement was
taking place, as I should not only be laughed at by my
comrades, but it would tell against my future promotion,
as perhaps some commanding officer, on looking over the
Defaulters* Book, might fancy I shirked out of my duty
on such an occasion as the present.

I could see by an almost imperceptible smile twitching
about the colonel's mouth, when I told him I would
come back to receive my punishment, that he was not
angry ; indeed, I fancied that he seemed to approve of
what I had done by coming to him in the manner I

14*

212 SCBAPS FROM MY SABRETASCUB.

had, though he could not, of course, express his approval.
It was evident he did not think any the worse of me, for,
turning awaj, he said sharply, " That '11 do, you 're
released."

I saluted, and hurried back to the lines as happy as
possible in my suddenly acquired liberty, hastily put on
my belts and arms, mounted my horse, and took my place
in the ranks, to the infinite surprise of the sergeant-major,
who thought I ought to have been snug in my tent, and
who rode up to me demanding what I was doing there
on parade.

" I 'm released, sergeant-major," replied I.
By whose order ? " inquired he, doubtingly.
By Colonel Scudamore's."

'* Oh ! I must ascertain about that," exclaimed he. I
suppose he did made inquiides about it, and found it all
correct ; for I never heard any more of the matter, and
the case was, I believe, never entered in the Defaulters'
Book.

This little adventure, so far from doing me any injury,
was rather of service to me; for it gave the colonel a
good opinion of 'me, that I wasn't one who would willingly
be absent when the services of every available fighting
man were so much needed.

213

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE BATTLE OF BETWA.

■

I WAS not sufficiently in the confidence of Sir Hugh
Eose to be able to get a sight of the plan of the battle
of the Betwa; so in a strategic point of view it would
be simply absurd in me to attempt to describe it, except
in the crudest and roughest manner, as can only be
expected from one in my position.

We had stood to our arms the whole of the night,
with the enemy very close to us, so close that we could
see their fires burning and hear the usual camp noises ;
in some places, it is said that the rebels taunted our
men, threatening what they would do on the morrow, so
it is evident they were confident of success.

As well as I could make out, the General's arrange-
ments were as follows: — Brigadier Stuart was sent to
our left with a small force to attack the enemy in flank,
or prevent them from making a flank movement and
entering the city ; while Sir Hugh Eose with our main
body was to oppose that of the rebels, which out-

214 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

numbered us as much as twenty to one,* and were
stronger than us in guns.

The different troops engaged in the investment of the
city remained as they were, and were to keep the rebels
in the city from sallying out to attack us in rear, or
joining their comrades who were coming to their relief,
and vice versa. To carry out ihis amiable purpose, guns
loaded with canister were placed so as to sweep all the
approaches from and to the city.

At day -break our guns opened fire on the enemy,
which they returned with interest, and there was such
blazing away that it seemed to shake the very ground
beneath us. We could, when there was a bit of a lull
in the firing, just to let the smoke rise, hear the boom-
ing of guns, too, in the direction of the city, and could
fancy our comrades were all employed there. Occasion-
ally there was heard the yells of triumph coming from
the devils in the city, in anticipation of our certain over-
throw—so they thought — and I must confess we (the
men) fancied things looked very black against us ; but
we had every confidence in our leader, and were not
going to be easily beaten, in spite of numbers or
appearances.

Could anyone have taken a bird's-eye view of us on
that morning,t it must have been a glorious sight.

* Our force opposed to the enemy nombered about 1,200; the
enemy numbered about 25,000.

f The man in charge of the telegraph on the top of a high hill in
the neighbourhood of the battle, and between the battle-field and the
city, must have had a capital view; at the conmiencement of the

THE BATTLE OP BBTWA. 215

Actually three battles going on at one time. We, under
Sir Hugh Rose, with our small force fighting twenty
times our number, charging again and again, through
the blazing jungle too (for the enemy had set fire to
it, thinking by that means to cover their retreat and to
check us, so that it was literally and truly warm work) ;
Brigadier Stuart, on our left, fighting and routing his
lot; and Colonel Gall with his guns hammering away
at the city, which seemed like a veritable hell peopled
with yelling incarnate fiends who vomited forth fire and
flames.

I know we all thought, at one time, when Sir Hugh
put himself at the head of a squadron of ours and led
the charge himself, that even he fancied things looked
doubtful; and that if he was to be overpowered by
numbers he would at least die a glorious death, at the
head of his troops in a charge ! I know, too, that those
he led thought he was only leading them to certain
death ; but they felt proud at going to death in such
•company.* It was a glorious sight to see them thunder-
ing along headed by the General and Captain Prette-
john, the latter of whom was bare-headed, and who
fought and shouted like a demon ; one minute, and they

battle we -were on the side of the hill nearest the city, with orders to
keep our position there; but the telegraph-man, by shouting and
frantic signs, indicated that a portion of the rebels were coming oyer
a gap of the hill, when, though against orders, the captain led us
over the hill just in time to stop them from breaking through and
getting behind our pickets round the city; this was thought a
•capital movement.
* Captain Prettejohn.

216 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRKTASCHE.

were among the enemy, and all that was to be seen was
a confused mass of flashing swords and bayonets, strug-
gling men and horses, and hoarse shouts of rage. From
this seething struggling mass our men emerged victorious,
for the result of the charge showed that an act of
daring and personal bravery on the part of a leader (an
act not often done — a commander-in-chief to lead a
charge) will sometimes change defeat into victory, as it
did in this case.

The rebels were thoroughly routed in this charge, and
turned and fled; were rallied, formed up again, to be
again charged and routed ; and yet again, only to undergo
the same infliction, losing all their guns,* and finally
bolting in the greatest confusion, pursued by our men,
who cut up great numbers of them, stopping only at
the river Betwa from sheer exhaustion.

Numbers of the enemy who escaped our swords were
drowned in attempting to cross the river ; the whole of
the ground passed over by our men was strewed with
the bodies of the enemy ; and at the lowest estimate it
was calculated that 1,500 of them must have been slain,
and no doubt the wounded were at least as many more.

Our cavalry and artillery bore the brunt of this severe
engagement, my regiment suffering the most, from the
nature of the conflict being a succession of charges and
hand-to-hand fights. The troops returned to camp
pretty tired with their day's work, but highly delighted
at having achieved so brilliant a victory over their
vaunting foes.

* Some of the guns had the name " Wyndham " painted on them.

THE BATTLE OF BETWA. 217

It may not be inappropriate to insert the telegram Sir
Hugh Bioae forwarded to Government after the battle
in this place ; it may, in its very brevity, give a better
idea of things than my rambling description (indeed the
chapter would not be complete without it). It runs
thus : —

" This morning, at daybreak, the force under my
orders fought a general action with the so-called Peishwa's
army, and, by the blessing of God, gained a complete
victory. The rebels are stated to have numbered from
20,000 to 25,000 men ; they were under Tantia Topee,
Nana Sahib's relative, and their object was to relieve
Jhansi. I did not discontinue the siege nor investment
of Jhansi, consequently the force with which I fought was
extremely weak. The rebels, amongst whom were the
Grenadier regiment and another regiment of the Gwalior
Contingeot, fought, except the cavalry, desperately ; but I
turned their left flank with artillerv and cavalrv, and,
after making two stands, they broke and fled, defending
themselves individually to the last. I pursued them to
the river Betwa, taking all their guns, eighteen in
number, and an English 18-pounder of the Gwalior Con-
tingent, drawn by two elephants, an 8-inch mort-ar, and
quantities of ammunition, including shells, 18-pounder
shot, ordnance park, and two more elephants. Two
standards were also taken. The enemy tried to stop our
pursuit by setting the jungle on fire, but nothing could
check the ardour of the artillery and cavalry, who galloped
in pursuit across the country in flames. I cannot calculate
at present the enemy's loss in killed ; but it must have

218 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASOHB.

been very great» as the country is strewed with dead
bodies, chiefly those of sepoys. As I now shall be free
from the attacks of a numerous attacking army, I hope
to conclude speedily the siege of Jhansi."

219

CHAPTER XXX.

THE FALL OF JHANSl.

I COULD not give an accurate account of the storming
and capture of Jhansi, even if I wished to do so, as I had
not the honour of being one of the stormers ; it is, there-
fore, beyond my power, and it would be absurd were I
to attempt anything like an elaborate description of it.
Contenting myself, therefore, with merely a brief allusion
to it, I must confine my remarks to delineating, as well as
I can, what came under my own observation.

Suffice it to say that the infantry stormed and took the
-city on the morning of the 3rd of April, after some very
hard fighting, and the loss of a great many men — the
86th in particular suffering severely, every officer, except-
ing one, being either killed or wounded, and upwards of
200 men rendered hors-de-combat — so that there must
have been sharp work going on. Although the city was
taken on the day of the storming, street-fighting was
kept up for three or four days, after which the city might
safely be considered ours.*

* The number of natives killed in the city is estimated, variously,
at from 3,000 to 6,000. I don't suppose ihe latter number was far
out, when one considers the indiscriminate slaughter which took place,
and that no quarter was given.

220 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABRETASCHE.

Luckily for our force, the enemy evacuated the fort
after the city was taken, as it would have cost much time
and the loss of many men to reduce it. As regards its
strength, Sir Hugh Kose in a telegram observes :

'' Jhansi is not a fort, but its strength makes it a
fortress ; it could not have been breached, and could only
have been taken by mining and blowing up one bastion
after another."

Another writer observes :

"The position was strong, the town having a good
wall* mounted by many guns ; above the town, and con-
stituting a separate and very formidable point of defence,,
frowned the huge castellated palace of the former rajahs."
The reader is recommended to read the glowing descrip-
tion of the storming and capture of Jhansi in the pages
of " The History of the Indian Mutiny."*

On the night of the attack, the Ranee made her escape
from the city on horseback, with about 2,000 followers,
and fled in the direction of Jaloun, though how she
managed to pass the pickets was a mystery. She was
pursued for a long distance, but succeeded in getting
away, with the loss of about two hundred of her escort,,
who were cut up by our men.

The Eanee is described as being a very handsome
woman about 24 years of age, of a licentious disposition,,
selecting her lovers indiscriminately from all ranks, and,
when tired of them, sending them ofE about their business,.

* The wall was of granite, and abont twenty -five feet in height,
t Vol. ii., pages 289-296.

THE FALL OP JHANSI. 221

or promoting them according as they ingratiated them-
selves in her favour ; in short, she was a second Catherine
of Russia. Were it not for the atrocities, however, that
she committed, or caused to be committed, she would
have had the sympathies of everyone ; for she was a
perfect Amazon in bravery, heading her troops, mounted
like a man, just the sort of dare-devil woman that soldiers
admire.

When we first arrived in Jhansi, she made overtures to
Sir Hugh Rose, wishing to have an interview with him.
Sir Hugh, however, knowing all her antecedents, gave her
to understand, through her messenger, that if she came
near him, woman and princess as she was, he would
certainly hang her. She had nothing for it, therefore,
but either giving herself up to be hung, or fighting to the
death. Finding herself driven into a corner, she preferred
doing the latter, and fought against us again and again
till she was finally killed at Gwalior. Could the histoiy
of this remarkable woman be written, it would no doubt
present some very strange features.

While the fighting was going on in the city, we were
not idle outside, but polished olE numbers as they tried
to escape, and it is probable more were killed in that way
than in the assault of the city and the subsequent street-
fighting. There was this difference, however : those we
had to deal with were fugitives flying for their lives,
while the troops in the city had to do with desperate men
fighting for their lives, and determined to sell them
dearly. So that there was less danger in our work — not
but what we had a sharp encounter now and then, where

222 SCRAPS FROM MY iSABKETASCHB.

it was staring one another in the face, and feeling our
way with our swords* — but most of it was simply
Tdlling,

One day twenty-four of us, under Cornet Beamish, went,
from one end of the city to the other, without the walls,
skirmishing, and we must have killed an immense number
one way and another. We rode into one courtyard in
which there were at least 200 armed men ; these fellows
were so panic-stricken at our appearance, that they threw
down their arms, and allowed us to butcher them with
our swords till we were actually tired with the slaughter.
I don't think we left many of them alive !

Once or twice in our progress through the gardens, we
had some little encounters on foot ; for the wretches, after
firing, would dash under the bushes, &c., and there was
no getting at them unless we dismounted. In one of
these bouts I had just put my sword into the ribs of one
of these fellows (an artilleryman), and he clung to the
bare blade, holding it in his body,t and cutting his fingers

* There was comparatively little danger in having a brush with
rebels single-handed, for They only made cnts ; these are easily
guarded — indeed, one has but to guard the first, and then insinuate
the point of one's sword into the opponent. Experience has shown
the advantage of pointing over cutting: a person might receive a
dozen cuts and recover from them, but nine out of ten must die from
a point through the body. I cannot prove this by statistics, but for
all that it must be a fact.

f The popular belief among natives is, that drawing the weapon (mt
causes death (not plunging it in, I suppose), and that as the weapon
comes out, so also does the life-blood ; but all the while the weapon
remains in, the recipient of it will live. This man evidently wished
to have some satisfaction at the very last moment of his life.

THE FALL OB' JHANSI. 223

to the bone in doing 80» at the same time making frantic
attempts to bit« my leg ; fortunately my boot protected
it, but he held my trousers in his teeth as tenaciously as
a bull-dog would, and I had to use the spur of my other
boot in his face to make him relinquish his hold. This
will give some idea of the savage nature of our warfare in
these little skirmishes.

It was blazing hot on that day, and, what with the
violent exercise and the sun, I was parched with thirst ;
and I could imagine that I did not have a very pre-
possessing appearance when I came to a well, where were
two women drawing water — one an old one, the other
young and good-looking. I rode up to the well and
desired them to draw me a drop of water; the younger
woman stared vacantly at me as if she were frightened,
or did not properly understand me, and I repeated the
demand for water in a louder tone. I suppose the poor
thing, judging from my appearance, must have fancied I
was a very savage fellow and wanted her life ; for, without
a word, she plunged into the well, to the horror of the
old woman, who commenced wringing her hands and
bewailing her loss.

T was truly sorry for the poor creature throwing her life
away like that, and would have helped her out again with
great pleasure, had I thought she would have accepted my
help, but knowing by experience that she wouldn't, I
contented myself with desiring the old woman to draw
the water, which she did at once, and in great tre-
pidation.

At this time Cornet Beamish came up, and told one of

224 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBETASCHE.

the men to loosen his horses' heel-ropes, and try to get
the young woman up. He might have spared the trouble ;
for she preferred drowning in the well to being saved by
the Feringees.

Everyone felt sorry for the fate of the poor creature ;
but I felt that I was, inadvertently, the cause of her
death — though had anyone else come up first, she would
probably have done the same thing. I felt more sorry
for her death than I did for all the men that I had
killed* on that day.

In our skirmishing many of the men made some very
good loot. I was rather fortunate that way myseK. I
noticed a fellow, on one occasion, nursing a bundle with
very great care, which led me to think it contained some-
thing more valuable than clothing, so I gently inserted
my sword into his ribs, dismounted, and took care of it
for him. I had no time to inspect the contents then, but
hastily tumbled out a lot of gold-mohurs into the holsters

* Nnmbers of poor women, whose husbands, brothers, or fathers
had been killed by us, voluntarily followed us and our fortunes. What
were they to do ? Having left the city, they could not return ; their
friends being killed, they had no protectors or home, and in time they
came to look on the very men who had killed their relatives — and
whom they had been taught to look upon with abhorrence and hatred
— as their protectors and fiiends. I have often conversed with some
of these women, and it was amusing to listen to the account they gave
of the tales their former friends had instilled into them concerning our
ferocity — to females in particular. I need not say they were agreeably
imdeceived, and probably enjoyed life more now (low as they had
fallen, morally) than ever they did before, and would not have had
their caste restored, and return to their former way of living, even if
they could have done so

THE FALL OF JHANSI. 225

of my saddle ; and dropping a snake,* through the net-
work of which I could see the " yellow dross " glitter,
into my haversack, I mounted and went on with my
skinnishing. Now and then, when I had occasion to trot,
I had the mortification of seeing some of my gold mohurs
dancing about in the wallets, and some of them rolling
out.

After the day's work was over, and we had returned to
camp, I inspected my prize, which consisted of about a
quart of gold mohurs (I did not bother about counting
them) ; and quite a valuable collection of gold bangles,
gold ear, nose, and finger rings, studded with jewels, were
contained in the snake. Yet they were, after all, com-
paratively worthless to me, and I was glad to get rid of
them as soon as possible; for the weather was so hot
that I could not be burdened with the weight of them.
I could not give them over to anyone's care, as they
were loot, and would be handed over to the prize-agent ;
if I left them in my kit, they might at any moment be
stolen, or the baggage might be cut off, and my prize
with it ; so I gradually got rid of them by buying luxuries,
in the shape of delicacies, wine, beer, &c., at exorbitant
prices, and finished the last of the rings long after the
campaign was over.

I think it will take many years to efface from the
memory of the inhabitants of Jhansi the awful retribution
which fell on that place to avenge the murders perpetrated
there. I have avoided interlarding these chapters with

* A long net-work pnrse, worn round the waist as a sash.

15

226 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBETASCHE.

sensational descriptions of the frightful atrocities inflicted
on European women here and at other places. That
relating to Jhansi has been officially contradicted — the
official version being that the victims were simply
butchered, without being blackened or dishonoured. Let
us hope the version may be true ; but from my knowledge
of Indian character, and conversations with natives, I
believe that they did have to suffer horrors, as bad, if not
worse, than any description yet given of them. I only
hope I may be mistaken. The authorities, no doubt, had
good motives in hushing the matter up as well as they
could, out of kindness to relatives, &c. ; yet, in spite of
this, the stern appalling truth will peep out here and
there from amidst the glossed-over accounts written by
officialdom, and make one's very blood boil at the thought
of what the poor victims must have suffered.

But enough of this. Everything was done for the
comfort of the wounded. Sir Hugh Eose himself visiting
them constantly ; but the intense heat proved highly
detrimental to them, greatly retarding their recovery,
in some cases causing wounds to mortify, which, had
the weather been cooler, would probably never have
happened.

There was a good deal of sickness, too, among the
men; it almost seemed as if the constant excitement of
the past fortnight had alone kept many from succumbing,
and the moment the fighting was over sickness ensued.
Be that as it may, one thing is certain, from the time the
fighting ceased sickness began to be rife in camp.

A remarkable case occurred here which may not be

THE FALL OF JHANSI. 227

undesemng of mention. An old soldier of ours, named
Harry Gordon, reported himself sick one morning, but
could describe his symptoms no more lucidly than that
" he felt as if he wanted to be always lying down." The
doctor (a recent importation) bade him go back to his
duty, saying it was simply laziness, and that there was
nothing whatever the matter with him. The man went
away indignant at the doctor's insinuation, exclaiming,

" There 's a pretty d d doctor, to tell me I 'm lazy,

and that there 's nothing the matter with me ! A lot he

knows about his business. I'm d d if I don't go

back and die, just to show what a b d fool he is!'*

He kept his word, for in less than an hour he was carried
to the hospital, dead ! The doctor had thought the poor
fellow was scheming, when in reality he was dying.

Shortly after, the place containing the bodies of the
murdered Europeans, numbering sixty-seven, was enclosed
by a wall, and the funeral service read over them. This
solemn duty being performed. Sir Hugh set to work to
prepare for further campaigning, our ultimate destination
being Kalpee, and towards the end of the month we
found ourselves marching in that direction.

16 •

228 SCRAPS FROM MT SABBETASCHE.

CHAPTER XXXI.

KOONCH. — "not dead YET.

99

Wb began now to suffer much from the heat of the
weather ; and, as if to add to our discomfort, we con-
tmued, through some sapient red-tapery, still to wear our
winter clothing. Fancy an Indian hot season, with the
thermometer at 115^ to 120^ in the shade, constantly being
exposed to the sun at — I will not venture to say how
many degrees — and wearing the identical sort of woollen
clothing we should have worn at home in the bitterest
winter!

I should say this sort of thing cost us a good many
men, who, had we been supplied with clothing suitable
to the season, would probably have been living now.
What with heat, little rest, and other concomitant evils,
we began to feel somewhat knocked up. We used
generally to march during the night, so as to come to
our halting-place by daylight or shortly after, in order
to avoid as much as possible the intense heat of the sun ;
and I must say Sir Hugh Bose did his best to avoid

KOONCH. 229

exposing us unnecessarily — a consideration which we fuUj
appreciated, and were not slow to expose ourselves when
required, as we always felt sure it was unavoidable.

We were marching on to a place called Koonch, where,
it was understood, a large body of rebels were posted^
and whom it was anticipated we were to encounter on the
morrow. We proceeded on during a great part of the
night, occasionally halting for a short time to rest our
horses; and so much were we fatigued by the recent
forced marches, and the heat of the weather, that no
sooner were we off our horses' backs than we were down
on the ground and fast asleep in a moment ; we did not
want any tucking in, nor such superfluities as pillows.
No one who has not experienced the same can imagine
the delightful feeling of dropping off to sleep in that
manner, nor the intense annoyance felt at the first blast
of the trumpet, which calls the troopers from their tem-
porary forgetfulness, to shake themselves, mount their
horses, and wearily jog on their way again.

After one of these short halts, we were marching along
in silence ; each one, perhaps, buried in his own medi-
tations, thinking of home, friends, and other sentimental
nonsense, undisturbed even by the click of the chuck-
mucky for there could be no enjoyment of the pipe at
such a time. I was dreamily cogitating in my own mind
the probable events of the coming morrow, when I noticed
a dhooHe, borne as usual by four bearers, noiselessly
proceeding by the side of my horse.

There being nothing unusual in this, I at first scarcely
paid any attention to it, but perceiving that its close

230

SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

proximity made my horse fidgety — a thing unusual with
him — and that persistently it neither went ahead nor
dropped back, but kept so near to my horse, and in such
a silent manner, for I now for the first time noticed the
silence of the bearers, I could not avoid being struck
with its singularity. This was rather a remarkable thing;
they are generally the reverse of silent, and usually have
a peculiar sort of cry or chaunt, as I distinctly remembered,
having taken the trouble to translate some of their cbaunts,
to my own entire satisfaction, on first arriving in the
country, and before I knew anything of the language;
my rendering was thus — free, of course :

Fbont Bearers

Rear ^

Front

Rear

All

»»

»»

»>

If

55

Front Bearers

Rear

Front

Rear

All

»»

»>

»>

>»

»>

>5

Ist Verse.

He*8 80 heayy!
Damn him I
Ain't he hQ&Ty I
Damn him! damn him !
Ail ail oh 1 oh I
Damn him 1 damn him I

2nd Verse.

Shall we drop him ?
Damn him 1

We 'd like to drop him I
Damn him I damn him I
Ail ai I hoi hoi
Damn him ! damn him I

I am inclined to think, from the fact of the rear bearers
having principally to sustain the chorus, and doing it,
too, so energetically, that they also sustain the heaviest
portion of their burden. This is suggestive, and is a fit
subject for scientific research ; the compiler of statistical
tables relating to it would, without doubt, confer a boon

KOONCH. 231

on society in general, and be amply rewarded for his own
trouble in compiling them.

To return to my own particular dhoolie. I spoke to the
bearers, and told them either to go on or back; but
receiving no answer, I rode my horse a yard or two out
of the ranks, to make them, and Ihey retreated as be
advanced, the dhoolie still keeping the same distance from
the horse as before. I thought this somewhat strange ;
but what was my surprise, on looking closer to ascertain
who was the occupant, to see myself^ apparently lifelesSy
stretched in it !

Now, I do not consider that I am particularly super-
stitious — in fact, I believe that I am rather the reverse ;
but there seemed to me something very remarkable in
the circumstance, to say the least of it. Was I awake, or
dreaming? I rubbed my eyes to ascertain. I was
evidently wide awake ; intensely so. Here were my com-
rades behind and before — or, rather, in front and in rear
of me — and there was that infernal dhoolie still continu-
ing its noiseless progress by my side, and containing
my other body, to all appearance defunct.

I could not reasonably tell all this to my comrades, for
they would naturally laugh at me. I could not, either,
ask anyone if they saw the dhoolie (in my own mind I
felt sure they could not), for they would just as naturally
conclude I was a fit subject for a strait- jacket. There
continued the dhoolie^ however, with my lifeless corpse in
it, and my proper, living self riding by the side of it!

This led me to call to mind all the tales of apparitions,
fetches, Ac, I had ever heard or read of ; and I concluded,

232 SCRAPS FROM MY SABUETASCHE.

much to my dissatisfaction, that it was a sort of warning
of what was to occur to me on the morrow. So after
mature consideration I came to the conclusion that " what
is to be must be ; and, to coin a word, Mussulmanicallj
and philosophically resigned myself to whatever might
turn up, even if that operation included my toes. Shortly
after, another halt was sounded, and I saw no more of my
dhoolie nor its ghastly occupant.

Morning brought us near the vicinity of Koonch, with
a large body of rebels drawn up in front of it. Our
troops were halted, both to rest them and to make the
necesuary preparations for an attack. Each man was
served out with a dram of grog and some biscuit soon
after we halted, which met with the treatment it deserved.
I had utterly forgotten my nocturnal apparition, and was
in capital spirits. I considered myself particularly for-
tunate, too, in obtaining a good drink of water from
Major MacMabon, whose hheestie had just brought up a
mtissuch full of it, clear and cold ; the Major also let my
horse have a drop, which I looked upon as a great favour,
as there was not much water procurable just then, which
greatly enhanced the value of his kind gift.

For some unaccountable reason — or, at least, for some
reason that I was unacquainted with — we were kept
waiting for a long time before operations commenced
with that portion of the force in which I was, and in that
time twelve men of the 71st Highlanders were sun-struck.
Poor fellows ! just coming out from home, they could not
stand the heat so well as those more seasoned to the
climate, and they suffered in proportion. During that

KOONCH. 233

halt they tried to shelter themselves from the fierce
ravs of the sun, as well as they could, by spreading
towels or pocket-handkerchiefs on the points of their
bayonets and huddling under that little bit of shade. We
had an advantage over them, for we could sit in the shade
under our horses' bellies !

Towards noon we became engaged with the rebels. I
am not going to describe the battle — for that is out of
my power — but simply relate what happened to myself.
As I mentioned before, in the first part of the morning
I felt in capital order ; but as the day advanced I became
sensible of extreme giddiness in the head, a choking
sensation in the throat, and a great craving for water,
which I eagerly drank, and as eagerly poured over my
head and down my bosom* whenever I could get the
chance. This produced a temporary feeling of coolness
that was positively delicious ; for the hot wind, blowing
through the saturated clothes on the body, became quite
cold and chilly. This lasted, however, but for a few
moments, and, of course, I could not always have water
poured over me ; others wanted it as bad as myself,
among the rest Sir Hugh Rose himself, who, but for
repeated douches, would probably never have survived
that day. He was prostrated three times with the un-
bearable heat of the sun, and as often rose with renewed
vigour after receiving the contents of a mussuck over hia
head and body.

To return to myself. I felt very queer, as if I did not
care whether I laid down and died, got hit from some

* This was a very common practice.

234 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASOHE.

fitraj bullet, or, indeed, what became of me — in fact, I
thought it would be rather a good thing to be knocked
over, and be out of that terrible sun altogether, and I
know that was also the feeling of a good many.

I was on the left flank of the front rank of my troop ;
next to me rode a lance-corporal, junior to myself, and,
in spite of this feeling which I have endeavoured to
describe, I had previously asked him to give a look if any-
thing should happen to me. We had already had some
little skirmishes with the rebels, and were now ordered
to charge a large body of them drawn up on the opposite
side of a ploughed field some distance off. This, as near
as I can tell, was about 1 o'clock.

Off we started ! I have a hazy recollection of madly
galloping and plunging over this ploughed field, which
was full of trenches — of a good deal of firing, shouting,
cutting and slashing, and then all was a blank. I must
have been unhorsed, either by my horse falling with me
or my falling off on my own at^count. In either case

1 was senseless, and do not remember anything till about

2 o'clock in the day, and the reader will please bear in
mind that I say that time advisedly.

On first recovering my senses, I found myself on the
ground. I sat up as well as I could, and saw several
dead bodies scattered about near me, and not a living
soul within sight. The hot glaring sun was striking
fiercely on me ; no shade anywhere that I could crawl to
to escape its awful rays. It was maddening ! My Ck)d !
I would have given the world for a bit of shade, if it
were only the size of a cabbage leaf !

KOONCH. 235

On turning round, at some distance off I saw a
dhoolie, but no bearers. There, at least, was some shelter
from this burning sun. Oh, yes ! I could get into that,
and for the remainder I cared not, so that I was out of
the direct glare of the sun. I managed to crawl to it ;
but, on opening it, I found a dead body lying in it. I
suppose I must have revolted from the idea of climbing
in on to the top of him for shade. Who he was, or
what he was, I never knew from that day to this, but I
left him in possession of the interior of the dhoolie.

Leaving him thus, I cast my eyes about for some other
means of shelter ; this, such as it was, I perceived im-
mediately. I remember, distinctly, that the dhoolie
threw a shadow at the side of it about six inches in
breadth, which made me imagine it was about 2 o'clock
at the time. I remember, too, that I eagerly thrust as
much of my head as I possibly could into that little six
inches of shade, and I remember no more.

In the charge over that ploughed ground my troop
lost several men. It was full of pit-falls, and these were
not discovered till we were right in the midst of them,
when, of course, the only thing to do was to plunge
through in the best way we could. One man had his
neck fairly broken by his horse coming down with him.
Strangely enough, too, this man, and another, also, who
was killed, had been for some time undergoing imprison-
ment, and had only been released that morning to take
part in the action, as a great favour, and at their own
earnest entreaty.*

* The names of the men were Steadman and Townsend.

236 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASOHE.

I caonot here resist telling an episode -which occurred
after this. Some of our men were in hot pursuit of the
rebels ; they had galloped for many miles, cutting down
whatever stragglers they overtook. What with the heat
of the sun and their violent exertions, they must have
been maddened with thirst, when, to their great joy,
they came up to a well. Most of the men caiTied a lota*
attached to the pommel of the saddle, supplied with a
long string to enable them to lower it into wells and
draw water. On perceiving the well, they quickly dis-
mounted, unslung their lotas, and lowered them into it ;
when, to their surprise, some of them were cut from their
strings, and the men were greeted with a volley from the
bottom of the well.

Some dozen or so of the rebels — there being only about a
foot of water in the well — had concealed themselves there ;
and, had they let the men quietly draw the water, they
might have remained undiscovered. As it was, the men
were bound to have water at any price ; so they kept
firing over the edge of the well into it till the rebels
were nearly all killed, when they were astonished at
hearing a voice in English cry out, " For God's sake, pull
me up ! ** One of the men immediately lowered his
horse's heel-ropes and pulled up the individual, who
turned out to be a half-caste, probably a band-master of
some native regiment. His English, howevor, did not
save his life, but rather hastened his death. In a moment
half-a-dozen swords were through him. He fell, crying^

* Small brass drinking-vessel, carried by all natives.

** NOT DEAD YET." 237

^* Oh, my God, has it come to this ! " It had evidently
come to that ; no mercy could be shown to one in his
position ; his being able to speak the English language
and having English blood in his veins rendering him
doubly culpable, and a thousand times worse than the
villains with whom he was leagued.

Our men now turned their attention to the well, and
having ascertained its occupants were all dead, or at
least quiet, peaceably drew up their water for a refreshing
drink, but, much to their disgust, it was quite red on
account of the shallowness of the water and the number ^
of rebels who had been killed in it. Necessity has no
law. They were parched with thirst ; they must drink,
blood or not blood, and they did.

On this day I was not the only man who was sun-
Btruck, numbers of others shared the same fate, and
several of them died — I think seven or eight. I was
picked up afterwards and carried to the hospital tents
senseless, and remained so for two days — at least, I
remember nothing for that time ; and I must have been
particularly senseless, for I was returned in the despatches
as dead. These despatches were copied in the papers, and
some time after I had the satisfaction of reading an
account of the engagement and my own death. I pro-
cured one of these papers, and forwarded it home to my
friends, who, I believe, have it in their possession now,
as a curio.

This was not all ; it was customary in the regiment to
put a stone up over any comrade who died, and on the
news of my death some of my old comrades in the depot

238 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

at Kirkee raised a subscription and put a tombstone up

in the cemetery there to my memory. It was with a

mournful pleasure, some three years after, I visited the

hallowed spot, and, standing opposite my own head-stone,

read the following :■ —

Sacred
To THE Memobt

OF

CORPORAL LE WARNER,

H.M.'8 14th (King's) Light Dragoons,*

Who Lost His Life

AT
EOONCH,

On the 7th May 1857.
This Stone was placed hebe

BY

Some of his Comrades.

Now 1 think there is something very remarkable in
this ; for I have paid for my own coffin, I have been
returned as dead, I have moralised on the shortness of
life over my own tombstone, and " I *m not dead yet ! "

By a still more curious coincidence, while actually
writing the above, I received a very handsome present
from a Pekinese friend ; a present which is rarely con-
ferred on anyone, and one which any Chinese would think
it the highest honour to receive. This present was neither
more nor less than a pall, A lady f in Shanghai, of great
literary acquirements, wrote a description of it, which
appeared in No. 14 of the " Oriental." For the benefit of
those readers who may not be able to procure that maga-

* Since then the 14th has become a hussar regiment
t Misa Lydia Mary Fay.

" NOT DEAD YET." 239

zine, and to substantiate my statement, I append the
article in question.

The Tu-lu-king-pi, or Pall of Victory.

In a recent "Pekin Gazette" it is stated that the Em-
peror had just presented a Tu-lu-king-pi to the late distin-
guished statesman, Chu-peug-piao. That a prince of the
blood, attended by a detachment of His Majesty's Life
Guards, was deputed to present this imperial insignia of
mysterious power, to cover the coffin with it, and to offer
at the grave of the departed statesman the accustomed
sacrifices in place of His Majesty.

As so high an honour is rarely conferred, even upon
princes, and as an explanation of the Tu-lu-pi may serve
to show another phase of the strange wild fancies and
extravagant superstitions that still encircle the Dragon
Throne, and extend their influence to the least among
the people, we submit the following, which may not be
without interest to the thoughtful observer of Chinese
character.

It is said that Confucianism is the State religion ; it
has its place, an important one, in the State, and its
influence on the intellect of the learned classes ; but when
sickness, misfortune, or old age come nigh, — rich and
poor, high and low, all alike fly to Buddhism, which is
the religion of their hearts. " They all die Buddhists,"
as the priests so often boastfully say. The following
explanation of the Tu-lu-pi may be taken as one proof
of the* assertion. That such extravagant nonsense should
still be found in books, even in the nineteenth century,

240 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHB.

is not strange; but that each word should be em-
broidered in gold on costly cloth of velvet or satin, and
presented by an emperor, who sways the destinies of
millions, to «ne of his greatest statesmen, as a talisman
of mysterious power, giving victory over death and Hades,
seems one of the marvels of the nineteenth centurv !

The Tu'lu-king-pi is about the size of an ordinary
funeral pall. It is made of velvet or satin, finished with
a rich arabesque border of gold embroidery, interspersed
with strange mystic figures, symbols, charms, and
circles, — all possessing a wonderful influence in the
region of Hades. In the circles are written prayers,
invocations, or incantations, in hieroglyphs, the know-
ledge of which is not considered in any degree necessary
to their eflficacy ; simple faith in using them, being the
only required condition.

In the centre of the " Pall of Victorv," is the outline
of a Sthupa or Indian pagoda, heavily embroidered in
gold; within this outline are embroidered the sacred
golden characters of " The Classic" of the Tri-lu-jpi. This
sacred text, which none may dare translate, is again
surrounded by an inner border of mystic circles, in which
are written prayers and incantations in Pali, Sanskrit,
and sometimes in Tibetan, or Manchu characters, which
it is not considered necessary that even the faithful
should understand.

But at the base of the Sthupa is a hsii preface in
Chinese characters, which explains all that is important
to be known of the origin and use of the Ttt-lti-pi and
the kingy which is inseparable from it.

"not dead yet.*' 241

The preface, literally translated, reads as follows: —
" On the sea of sin (this world) there are overwhelming
waves. Who can abide for ever in Hades ? There is an
ark of safety — a vessel of mercy— that can save the lost,
and reach the kingdom of joy! It is of the first im-
portance to reach * that shore ' (Nirvana). But there are
three myriads and many thousand trials and misfortunes
in the way, and, therefore, owing to the kalpas or three
great periods of trouble, all living things must suffer the
bitterness of death and transmigration, as all are involved
in the revolutions of the Great Wheel (Lun-hui) of Fate.
The illustrious Western Pu-seh (Buddha) knowing this,
had compassion on the living and the dead. In the
bottomless pit, he raised the lotus-leaved tower, on the
top of which was a seven-storied Sthupa, whereon he
sat and spake forth words of truth and life. His face
was severe in majestic dignity. His words were like a
great light — and wherever the spirits in torment saw this
light, hope sprang up in their hearts ; they could see to
leave their abode, and begin to scale the heights towards
heaven, leaving their filth behind them." The repetition
of this classic (as written on the Tu-lu-pi) leads to life ;
the sound of the words even, has power to lift spirits
from hell, and carry them three points towards Nirvana.
The profit, and joy, and grace of this classic cannot be
measured. As it is said in " The Book of Directions,'*
or " How to escape the Defilements and Pollutions of the
World." This mysterious classic destroys evil and pro-
duces virtue. If it be fastened on a corpse, on the
forehead, throat, heart ; or hidden in any place near it ;

16

242 SGBAPS FROM MT SABBETASCHE.

placed on the head as a cap, or on the body as a
covering like a sheet, the soul of the dead man will
immediately receive the strength of the great Buddha;
all his past sins, however heinous, will be forgiven, and
all his bitter torments speedily ended ; the soul will free
the pangs of death, leave the way of evil, enter a place
of purity, see the face of Buddha, receive his instructions,
and, perhaps, may be immediately permitted to be bom
again upon the earth, enter a new state of existence in
this world as a man of wealth and honour, enjoying long
life and happiness, the merit and glory of which will
surpass all description ! Therefore, according to the holv
will of Buddha, this classic was printed in the b^inning
of time; but, as ages rolled on, the priests of Buddha
corrupted this precious classic, and hence there are
pretended copies written in four ways, differing from the
one true and priceless original. In some the central
figure of the Sthwpa differs from the true copy. In
others, the text of the classic differs, and there are those
in which the prayers are incorrect.

"But this is a correct copy, carefully compared and
arranged for the faithful. The form of the Sthupa is
after the original model. The writing is after the
Sanskrit. The translation is according to the Imperial
Edition of Thibet, with the size, form, length, and
name of each prayer and charm minutely given."

Then follow the names of fifteen prayers in Sanskrit
Then "other prayers or mystic charms, which may be
written on silk or paper, and laid upon the body of the
dead in eighteen different places, and thus purify it

"not dead yet/* 243

from all defilement ; after the purification is accomplished,
the prayers may be gathered and placed in the Sthwpay
and the spirit of the dead will be at rest."

" All these words were spoken by the mouth of Buddha
himself. If a believing man or woman receive the illimit-
able merit and blessing of this Tu-lvr-pi, let them rejoice
with boundless joy, they will go triumphantly to ^that
share* (Nirvana)."

L. M. F.

Shanghai, 27th March, 1874

16 ♦

244 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHB.

CHAPTER XXXII.

KALPEE AND GALOWLEB. — RAVINGS AND MISTY

RECOLLECTIONS.

Those days during which I was senseless may be con-
sidered as sponged out of my existence — wiped out
altogether — leaving a perfect blank. When I did come
to my senses it was not to a full possession of them,
but a languid dreamy consciousness of where I was and
what was going on about me, not by any means distinct.
I saw everything as if the objects were enshrouded in
mist, or as if a veil of some gauzy texture were drawn
between me and them ; I forgot what I saw imme-
diately or remembered it only partially as one remembers
a dream or phantasm of the brain. The sound of voices
appeared smothered and indistinct, as if my ears were
stuffed with cotton. It was fatiguing to look at any-
thing, it was more fatiguing still to listen to their
mutterings. There was one sound I did like to hear,
however, the sound of water ; but, oh ! how delightful
it was to lie there and feel the cool water dashing on
my burning head and trickling over my face and bosom.

MISTY EEOOLLEOTIONS. 245

No melody was ever so sweet as the music of that drip, drip,
drop, drop, was to mj delighted ears ; all other sounds
were swallowed up and lost in that limpid harmony ; all
other feelings were dead save the exquisite feeling of
relief its coolness produced on my heated brain. It must
be elysium could one only die to the sound of that deli-
cious trickling music.

I have an indistinct recollection of being carried on
the road — ^I don't know what it was in — of the dreadful
sun being on every side of me, trying to get at me and
scorch my brain up ; but, thank God ! I could defy it. I
had carefully put my head in the shade, and the shadow
must grow broader and broader as the sun descended
and grew weaker and weaker. That was a good idea of
mine, wasn't it, putting my head in the six inches of
shade ? Why, it must be a foot now ! and by and by, as he
sinks, my whole body will be in the shade, and then I can
laugh at the sun — he will be powerless to hurt me. Oh !
yes, I 'm well protected now and can almost defy the sun.
I don't know whether I used to talk at all ; but some-
times I had very pleasant dreams, generally of home,
Ac. ; I am, however, inclined to think they were merely
waking dreams.

I have a confused remembrance of being in a tent
which was full of " sun-strokes," * some of whom seemed
to unaccountably disappear and be replaced by others,—
of dreamily listening to the delirious ramblings of men,

* One man was actnally stmck throngh the tent. He was in the
hospital with some other complaint when this occurred, and conld not
have been exposed to the sim at all.

246 SCBAPS PROM MY SABBETASCHE.

as thej tossed on their beds and flung their arms about,
&ncjing they were talking to friends at home. As soon
as one began to talk of home his place was sure to be
Tacant yery shortly. I remember that very well, but was
not at all surprised at it. Who wanted to hear about his
home or frieads ? Why don't he lie quiet and dream of
them if he likes, and not interrupt others in their dreams ?
I can remember the horror I felt when I first thoroughly
understood that I was in hospital, the dread of dying
there, my restless desire of being out of it and among
my comrades. What the devil did they bring me here
for? There's nothing the matter with me, I won't
stop in a d — d hospital ! Everybody dies that comes
here. I so worried the doctor who attended me with
repeated asseverations that I was quite well and wanted
to go out, that he discharged me ; but the senior doctor
would not allow it, as he said it was simply sending
me out to die. So I had to remain; but I pestered him
too, till at length, I believe, he was glad to get rid of
me, and discharged me from hospital.

Although I was once more at my duty I was still
very hazy in my ideas, and every time I lay down to
sleep I became delirious; on several occasions the men
roused me from my raving sleep and wanted me to go
back to hospital, but such was my dread of that place
that I swore I would never go there unless carried. I
soon discovered that if I did not lie down when I slept
I was free from delirium, so I hit on the plan of sitting
cross-legged like a tailor, and sleeping in that position^
This plan I followed for many weeks; and at length I

MISTT RECOLLECTIONS. 247

got so used to it, that for a long time I could sleep in
no other position.*

For weeks, too, although performing all my duties
regularly, I did everything mechanically, as if I were in
a dream, and can only imperfectly remember passing
events, even though I was present and acted my part in
them. Most curious, too, I never remember eating any-
thing at this time, though, of course, I must have done
80; but certain particular drinks of water or tea I had
then are as vividly impressed on my mind now as if I
had them but a few minutes ago, and I can recall the
peculiar flavour of the beverage, and the influence it had
on me, even to this moment.

I have a faint recollection of the sufferings of that
awful march on to Kalpee : of men and horsesf dropping
down from heat and exhaustion ; of men, unable to go any
further, crawling under any bush by the roadside that
afforded the slightest shelter, and being picked up dead

* The habit of sitting cross-legged became so natural to me, that
eyen now I cannot entirely break myself of it, and often catch myself
sitting cross-legged on my chair at table.

t Many of the horses were sun-struck, or dropped dead with heat
and exhaustion ; it was pitiable to see them sometimes dragging them-
selves, they must have sufifered terribly, both from heat and want of
water. A man would always divide his water with his horse, and let
him drink out of the bottle first, too. I have seen a man cry at the
death of his horse, who, perhaps, would not have shed a tear at the
death of his nearest relative; nor is it astonishing that a soldier
should love his horse, when one considers how much, to a dragoon,
depends on him. I have been greatly impressed at noticing great
rough fellows treating their horses as tenderly as if thoy were babies.
Nor would I give much for the dragoon who did not love his horse
and treat him kindly.

248 SCRAPS FEOM MY SABRETASCHK.

or dying and carried on ; of our fellows sometimes giving
some of the infantry a lift on their horses to help them
a bit of the way on the road, while they themselves
walked ; of men of the 71 st dropping by the dozen and
being carried into our tents senseless, dead, and dying.*

I can remember there being no water on the road;
and men falling out maddened with thirst, and scraping
in the dry bed of a river to get a drop of the precious
liquid ; — eagerly drinking the filthy tepid puddle which
tasted more sweet to the parched lips than the purest
nectar; — the thronging of men and cattle round a well
which was rapidly growing shallower till it finally became
dry, struggling, fighting, and crying for water ;-^men
dying of thirst with swollen tongues lolling out of
their mouths and bolting staring eyes ; — and one man

• The case of this regiment was particularly hard, as they had but
few camp followers, and, I think, no cooks — ^the men themselves
having to cook their meals in the blazing sun, after a long march.
Our men were able to show them many little acts of kindness, which
they never forgot. We were well supplied with camels and elephants,
and our tents and baggage generally kept up to us, and reached the
camping-ground almost as soon as we did ; we were, besides, mounted.
They had to march on foot, and having bullocks only to carry their
tents and baggage, which were always late in arriving ; and but for the
shelter we afforded them in our tents, the poor fellows would, after a
long march, have had to wait for hours in the burning sun for theil*
baggage to come up. On one march in particular, dozens of the men
were carried into our tents, senseless — struck down by the sun, heat,
or fatigue — and the doctor of the 71st actually cried at the sad
spectacle, exclaiming, " My God ! my God 1 what will become of my
poor men! I shall never forget your (the 14th) kindness to them.**
The men of the 71st never did forget ; for ev«r afterwards any man of
our regiment would be welcomed, even if a stranger to them, with
open arms, and treated with the greatest hospitality.

EAVINGS. 249

being sun-struck, and, knowing it, in his delirium fiercely
stabbing witb his sword up to heaven, and daring the
Almighty to come down and fight him like a man, and
not strike him " foully with this b d sun."

When we reached Galowlee I can remember something
about being short of water there, and having to shift our
camp through it ; and something of the Jumna being only
a few miles off ; of the enemy being between us and that
glorious river, that we must beat them to get to it, and
that we did so too.* I can remember the enemv harass-
ing us in the daytime when the sun was hottest, and they
knew that many of us must succumb to its blasting
influence (it seems to me now that we were perpetually
out in it, repelling their attacks — now on this side the
<^mp, now on that) ; — the enemy sometimes coming so
near that the shots came into camp and apparently from
All sides at once, as if we were surrounded ; there were
repeated turns out and fights against awful odds in the
blazing sun, and finally a glorious victory and the capture
of Kalpee.

I can see the river now, glittering in the bright rays
of the sun like a broad waving band of molten silver ;
the ravines leading to it thronged with men, horses, camels,
•elephants, bullocks, all possessed of one craving desire —
water; all rushing to the river to quench their burning
thirst with its cool waters, to lave their wearied bodies
in its clear bosom. I can remember seeing the whole,
men and cattle, rush pell-mell into the water, which they
drank to repletion, and afterwards wallowed in — ^the men,

• The enemy had sworn to sweep us into the Jumna.

2dO SCRAPS FBOM MY SABBETASCHE.

legardless of their clothing, mingling with their four-
footed brethren in the stream. That indulgence cost the
lires of manj of the poor beasts, whose swollen carcases
choked up the rayines thej had so recently descended;
water which thej so mach needed, and so mnch craTed
for, thus, instead of saving life, causing death, through
haring been drank too copiously.

In the fort at Kalpee* we found an immense quantity
of munitions of war and other stores, which proved that
the enemy did not anticipate our capturing the place, or
they could easily have removed them.

Parties were sent out in pursuit, under Colonel GkJlf
and Captain Abbot, respectively ; these killed great num-

* Why we should have had to march oyer a thousand miles, and
fight our way through all sorts of odds to capture Kalpee, when an
oyerwhelming British force was for months only a few miles distant
from the place, I, nor, I believe, anyone, can conceive ; but such was
the fact. It may have been part of a deep-laid plan; but I must
confess it was too deep for my limited comprehension.

t Colonel Gall deserves something more than a passing notice,,
and, though I disliked him personally, I cannot refrain from expressing
my admiration of him as a soldier and a daring officer. He was a
short, spare, sallow- visaged man; but in his little frame was an
immense amount of courage and endurance. He, I believe, gloried
in danger, and would face anything or everything — the devil himself.
He had so much confidence in himself, and the men, that he used to
Bay, " Give me the 14th, a regiment of infantry, and a troop of
artilleiy, and I 'd sweep the whole of India.** The General had a high
opinion of him, and was constantly sending him on expeditions in
which tact, daring, and endurance were required, and he was
invariably successful ; chiefiy owing to the good example he showed
to his men. When he was seen to leave the camp with a small party,
it was a common saying, '^ There goes Gall to look for a fight,** and he
generally found it ; on foot or on horseback, in a charge, or a storm, it
was all one to him. The infantry who had been out with him spoke-

KALPEE. 251

bers of tlie flying enemy, besides capturing all tbeir guns^
camels, elephants, horses, &c., with which they returned
in triumph to camp.*

enthusiastically of his reckless daring ; he was " too brave," and on
one or two occasions, when on foot, the men have actually had to hold
him by force, to keep him from rushing to certain death. He had
received a sword-cut on the wrist during the Sikh war, in endeavour-
ing to seize a standard, which rendered his right hand useless ; he
thought to get over that, however, by inventing a sword which could
be fitted to his wrist; this, after a trial or two, he found did not
answer, so he had to give it up, and use his left hand. In leading a
charge — either against the enemy, or at a field-day — he would turn
round in his saddle, and say, " Now, men, you are quite at liberty to
gallop over me — if you can I " He was always so splendidly mounted
that that was an impossibility. In riding, his light frame seemed to
grow out of the saddle ; as the old soldier caustically remarked, " he
sticks to the saddle like a sick monkey on a yard-arm ! " He was
reported never to undress, but always to sleep booted, belted, and
dressed, ready for a turn-out on the instant ; and this would appear to
be true, for at the first blast of the trumpet he would appear riding
down the lines fully equipped, as if he had been waiting for the
trumpet to sound. I am not his biographer, or I might write a volume
concerning him, but I will conclude with observing that, though he
was not very popular among his own men as a commanding officer,
every man of us admired him for daring as a soldier.

* The General presented one of the elephants to the 14th. This
elephant used to march at the head of the regiment. The men sub-
scribed for its maiitenance, and that of its keeper, who used to be
gorgeously dressed, and sit in state on the elephant's back, on such
occasions. He knew every man, woman, and child of the regiment,
and would throw up his trunk and salute any of us with a trumpeting
sound ; but, strange to say, he would never notice the men of the 6th
Inniskillings, who tried to make his acquaintance. On one occasion
he killed a horse belonging to the 6th, by crushing him to death
against the wall of his stable. When we were leaving India it was
found impossible to take him with us, and he was sold, to our great
regret, as we had all grown to like Kooglia, and he would have caused
quite a sensation at home, marching at the head of our regiment.

i

252 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCUB.

Our force having completed the work it had been
destined to do, it was ordered to be broken up, and the
troops distributed to different stations, and kept under
cover during; the remainder of the hot season, to enable
the men and cattle to rest and recruit their strength
after so much hardship and suffering. Sir Hugh Bose
also announced his intention of going to Bombay on
sick certificate, he being thoroughly knocked up with
his recent exertions, and took leave of the troops in the
following General Order, which I insert for the reader's
perusal : —

Field-Force Orders by Maj.-Gen. Sir Hugh Eose K.C.B.

" Camp, Calpee, 1st June 1858.

"The Central India Field Force being about to be
dissolved, the Major- General cannot allow the troops- to
leave the immediate command without expressing to them
the gratification he has invariably experienced at their
good conduct and discipline, and he requests that
the following general order may be read at the head of
every corps and detachment of the force.

" Soldiers ! you have marched more than a thousand
miles, and taken more than a hundred guns. You have
forced your way through mountain-passes and intricate
jungles, and over rivers. You have captured forts, and
beat the enemy, no matter what the odds, whenever you
met him. You have restored extensive districts to the
Government, and peace and order now reign where before,
for twelve months, were tyranny and rebellion. You
have done all this, and you have never had a check.

KALPEE. 253

" I thank you witli all my sincerity for your bravery,
your devotion, and your discipline.

"When you first marched, I told you, that you, as
British soldiers, had more than enough of courage for
the work which was before you, but that courage, with-
out discipline, was of no avail ; and I exhorted you to let
discipline be your watchword. You have attended to my
orders. In hardships, in temptations, and in dangers, you
have obeyed your General, and you never left your ranks.

" You have fought against the strong, and you have
protected the rights of the. weak and defenceless, of foes
as well as of friends. I have seen you, in the ardour of
combat, preserve and place children out of harm's way.

" This is the discipline of Christian soldiers, and this
it is which has brought you triumphant from the shores
of Western India to the waters of the Jumna, and esta-
blishes, without doubt, that you will find no place before
which the glory of your arms can be dimmed."

I will venture to say there was not a man of the force
whose bosom did not swell with pride and exultation
when he heard this order read. Those few words
effectually effaced all remembrance of suffering and hard-
ship, leaving only the pleasure of being thought by our
General worthy of his praise.

I commenced this chapter raving, and I verily believe
I shall have to finish it raving, but in a very different
manner. What a wonderful effect a few appropriate words
have ; here I am, ready to go through another lot.

4

254 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRBTASOHB.

CHAPTER XXXni.

GWALIOR. — ROASTING ALIVB.

We were destined to be disappointed in our expectations,
there was to be no rest for us yet ; the idea of resting
during the remainder of the hot months was still in
perspective, and so distant we could hardly see any
prospect of it at all.

News came that the Eanee of Jhansi and Tantia Topee
had managed somehow or other to scrape a large army
together, with which they had proceeded to Gwalior,
and had fought a battle,* in which the Maharaja's troops
had been worsted, though led on by himself with great
gallantry ; that the whole of his troops, with the exception
of his body-guard, had gone over to the rebels, who
had succeeded in taking the fort, city, and the Lushkar,
with all the guns there were in the former, and the
immense treasure there was at the latter place. His fort,
city, palace, throne, and treasure gone, and his troops

* This battle was fought on the 1st of June.

GWALIOR. 255

gone over to tlie rebels, the Maharaja, with a few of his
faithful body-guard, had fled to Agra, while the rebels
busily occupied themselves in trying to organize a
government for their newly acquired possessions.

The General no sooner received this startling intelli-
gence than he determined to forego his sick-leave, and
once more take the field, at any risk. It would not do to
leave such a strong place as Gwalior in the hands of the
rebels, as it would nullify all our hard-earned victories
by becoming a rendezvous for the disaffected from all
parts of India, and probably cause a great deal of time
and trouble to capture. There was also the fact that
a loyal prince was driven from his throne and country
by the rebels, after gallantly fighting against them ; so
it was evidently the duty of our Qx^vemment to let the
Pandies see that they should not have it all their own
way, and that if we were quick to avenge ourselves on
our foes, we were as equally quick to render assistance
to our friends and strike a rapid blow in their behalf.

Off we went again, on the 6th June, and after some very
severe marching, under a rather warm sun,* on the 16th
we reached Morar cantonments, where a large body of the
rebels were posted, waiting for us. They had not long
to wait ; for Sir Hugh Eose, with his usual dash, went in
at them, tired as we were, at once. After a few rounds
our troops advanced, driving the enemy before them out
of the cantonments and killing numbers of them, the

* One day the thermometer was reported to be 180° in the shade ;
the Lord only knows what it was in the sun / know it was warm.

256 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

71 fit in particular going in at them with the " cold steel"
in a nullah where a lot of them had ensconced them-
selves, as if they did not intend being driven out ; neither
were they, for after some fierce hand-to-hand fighting,
in which the 71st lost an officer and several men, they
left the nullah, but not till every rebel in it was killed.

It was frightfully hot, and the sun struck down on us
with awful power, buttoned up as we were in thick
woollen tunics. The officers were requested to speak to
the colonel to allow us to take them off and strap them in
front of the saddles ; but the permission was not granted,
as it was not " regimental or soldierly " ; so that there
we were in front of the enemy, stifling, sweltering, gasping,
and not half so effective as we should be were we allowed
to peel off — because it was not "regimental." I don't
know how it was, but some man, I suppose, watching his
opportunity by seeing some movement amongst the rebels,
and anticipating a corresponding one on ours, suddenly
pulled off his tunic, and in a twinkling every man of the
regiment peeled off. Just at this moment we were
ordered to change position, and throw out skirmishers,
so it was impossible to order them to be put on again,
and for some time we were so fully occupied potting the
enemy that it could not be done. The colonel, like a
sensible man, seeing the unanimous feeling of the regi-
ment, took no notice of the men all being strip- shirted,
and afterwards issued an order that for the future we
might turn out in that manner. This was really a great
boon, better late than never ; and if it had been done
months before, it would probably have lessened the

GWALIOB. 257

death-roll of tlie regimeat. It had more advantages than
one, too ; for not only did we feel cooler, and could use
our arms better, but, I believe, the enemy thought we
had an addition to our force, in a regiment of dragoons
wearing white jackets, when it was simply one of the
old ones strip- shirted.

I cannot here avoid giving a word of praise to two
classes of hard- worked followers, without whose assist-
ance we should have been awkwardly placed, and who
faithfully served us during the whole of the arduous
campaign. These were the bheestie- wallahs and the
dhoolie-bearers. The former, whether on the line of
march, or in front of the enemy, were sure to be in
attendance, and contributed greatly to our comfort, by
moistening our parched lips with a timely drink of water,
or pouring the cooling liquid over our burning heads
and down our bosoms ; the hot winds blowing through
our wet clothes, giving such a sense of coolness and
exquisite pleasure — even if only temporary — impossible
to describe. If water was to be had, there the bheesties
were with it, no matter what the risk. The dhoolie-
bearers, too, were always close up to the column, ready
to bear ofE a wounded or sun-struck man, and often
running the risk of being shot in doing so. These two
classes of men must have had pretty hard times of it, as
the hotter the weather, or the more sick and wounded
there were, the harder became their work — in fact, their
work was never done ; and they ran almost as much
danger of being killed as we did, as they were often under
fire, and never shrank from their work. I think these

17

258 SCRAPS FROM MY SABRETASCHE.

poor fellows got medals ; if tbej did not, thej ought to
have got them, for they richly deserved them.

But to return to Morar. Before the day was orer we
were in possession of the whole of the cantonments, while
the enemy still remained masters of the town and fort,
and occupied the heights to the east of it in strong
numbers.

Sir Hagh Bose, understanding that great preparations
had been made, by throwing up batteries, to check our
advance on to Phoolbagh,* a place about half-way distant
between Morar and the Lushkar,t made a long detour
the next night, and joined Smith's brigade at Kota-ke-
serai, outflanking the enemy, and coming into Phoolbagh
behind them, without much loss ; and finally, after some
severe fighting, town, fort, Phoolbagh, and the Lushkar
were in our hands, together with upwards of fifty guns
of various calibres.

The Eanee of Jhansi was killed in the attack on
Phoolbagh, either by a fragment of a shell or a bullet,
while directing the movements of her troops. She wore
the dress of a mounted officer, as was her custom, at the

* (( Flower garden.** A garden and palace near the foot of the east
end of the fort. The palace -was afterwards used as a barracks by
the 71 St.

t Literally, " encampment " ; but in reality a large well-built town,
containing the Maharajah's palace, and many good streets and build-
ings ; the city of Uwalior was on the other side of the fort, inmiediately
at the foot of it. So that Gwalior proper, or the scene of our opera-
tions, were the Morar cantonments or lines, occupied by the Gwalior
troops; the Phoolbagh, the city, the fort, the heights, and the
Lushkar. There was no fighting in the latter place.

BOASTING ALIVE. 259

time she was killed. Her followers burnt lier corpse, to
prevent it falling into the hands of the British, whom
she so mortallj hated.

The mutineers had no braver leader than she was, nor
the British a more inveterate enemy and obstinate oppo-
nent. Her death, but for the atrocities she committed,
would have been pronounced " glorious," and she would
have been honoured as a brave foe, a true heroine, and a
real patriot; as it was, her death rid the world of
a beautiful but blood-thirsty monster.

When we rode into Phoolbagh, the first sight that met
our gaze was enough to make the blood run cold with
horror, or boil with rage ; for there, hanging by the legs*
from the branches of a tree, were the bodies of two
Europeans, naked, except the socks, and swollen to an
enormous size ; they had actually been roasting over a
slow fire ! for beneath each of them the fire was scarcely
cold. These men were recognised (by the socks they
wore) as belonging to the 8th Hussars ; their horses had,:
I believe, fallen in a charge on the previous day, and they:
had been left on the ground, unnoticed, perhaps. As
far as I could see, there was no wound on either of
them, and they must have been hung up in that manner
to make their death as lingering and as maddening as
possible — their heads being about a foot above the fire.
What the poor fellows must have suffered, God only-
knows. They were at once cut down and buried.*

* I heard that there were five bodies fonnd hanging in a similar
manner. I only saw two ; the others mnst have been at some other
place. •

17 «

260 SCRAPS PROM MY SABBETASCHB.

Brigadier Napier was despatclied with a flying column
of cavalrj* and horse artillery, numbering about 600 men ;
with this handful he performed one of the most dashing
feats on record. He came up with about 8,000 of the
enemy, under Tantia Toopee and the Nawab of Banda,
charged into them, cutting up great numbers, and cap-
turing all their guns (twenty-flve) and an immense
quantity of ammunition. It must have been glorious to
have seen that charge — men, horses, and guns thundering
on into the mnks of the enemy, sweeping everything
before them ! Other flying columns scoured the country
in all directions, cutting up the enemy wherever they
came across them.

On the 20th, the Maharajah, who had been desired to
return in haste to Owalior, was escorted by all the troops
in camp to his capital. Scindia was attended by Sir
Eobert Hamilton and Sir Hugh Eose and his staff, and
the brilliant cortege riding up the broad street leading to
the palace must have appeared very imposing to the
inhabitants, and taught them to respect the power that
had brought their monarch back to his capital. Sir
Hugh having restored Scindia in triumph to his throne
and kingdom,t and having seen everything satisfactorily
arranged for the disposition of the troops, fairly ex-
hausted and worn out, again resigned command of the
force, and stai'ted for Bombay on the 29th, the guns
from Gwalior fort booming out the announcement of his
departure and a long farewell.

* 14th IJragoons and native caTalry.

t Gwalior was in possession of the rebels eighteen days only.

6WALI0B. 261

I might insert dozens of extracts, from yarioos sooroeSy
all eulogistic of Sir Hugh Rose and his achieyements. I
select one onlj, chieflj on account of its brevity ; it will
serve as a fair specimen of many others.

** He always showed a disposition and determination to
fight, whatever odds were against him; in his fights he
always punished severely. He marched without cessation
from the Nerbndda to the Jumna, following on the heels
of the murderer with the certainty and rapidity of the
blood-hound; he caught them in their lairs, broke down
their fastnesses, and stripped them of their weapons.
When confronted by their thousands, he met them with
his hundreds, never yielding an inch, and, as at Marathon
of old, laid their cohorts in the dust. By day and by
night, through the perils and dangers of disease, fatigue,
the battle-field, and the burning sun, he led his over-
tasked squadrons from victory to victory, never sheathing
the awful avenging sword until he had strewn the plains
of India with corpses, and scattered the enemy like the
four winds.

" In the valleys, on the mountains, in the city, on the
plains, the whitened bones of mutineers and rebels lie, to
tell their tales to all who pass by, and remind them of
the avenging march of Sir Hugh Eose's army through
Central India."*

* See " Generals Rose and Stuart's Indian Campaigns.'* To those
who would wish for a fuller description of his achieyements during
that trying campaign, I would recommend the perusal of the above-
named book ; also " The History of the Indian Mutiny.**

262 a<:itAPS noM xi sabseta^chi.

CHAPTEB XXXIV,

GWALIOB FORT.

Kt troop (tbe K), a battery of artillerj, and a part of
tb#; 71«t were left in charge of tbe Fboolbagb for some
time; otinielTe« and tbe artillery remaining in tents,
pitcbed on tbe plain, and tbe 71 st occupying tbe palace.

Wbile we were tbere a large body of the Gwali(»r
irregular caTalry, numbering about 2,000 men, were dis-
mounted — tbat is, their horses were taken away from
them. This was effected by the Maharajah himself in a
Tery masterly manner.

We were all in readiness when His Highness rode in at
the head of the cavalry. When he had reached what he
thought a suitable place for the purpose, he gave the
word for them to retire by files from the right of troops,
then turn inwards, dismount, and picket their horses.
This being done, he made them fall in by troops at the
head of their respective lines, and marched them off at
once, minus their horses, to their rage and mortification
at being thus easily outwitted, for without their horses

GWAUOB FOKT. 263

they were comparatively useless. They had no help for it
and had to go ; for the least resistance would have brought
us down on them, as we were in waiting for any fracas
that might take place.

At midnight there was a regular stampede amongst the
horses, a few of them having been cut loose either by
the men left in charge of them, or by their owners stealing
into the lines and doing so in hopes the loose horses
would return to their old lines, and they would thus
recover them ; or, perhaps, they thought the loose horses
would cause ours to break loose as well as their own, and
cause great confusion. At any rate, horses were galloping
about in all directions ; and as the night was intensely
dark, it was extremely dangerous. Orders came that we
were to hamstring all the loose horses we could ; and it
was exciting to stand by while a horse dashed past and
slash at his hind-legs with our swords, in hopes of
cutting the sinews, which would effectually put a stop
to his galloping. Several were served this way, and
when they were brought up by hamstringing they were
put out of their misery as soon as possible.*

Meanwhile the sick and wounded of the different
detachments were sent up into Gwalior fort, for the
benefit of the cooler atmosphere which was to be obtained

• The cavalry, in India, use entire horses only ; and if one breaks
loose, it sometimes causes an inmiense deal of trouble — ^the others
fighting, plunging, and endeavouring to break loose as well. One
loose horse at a field-day will often throw a whole troop into con-
lusion ; the horses getting into a fearful state of excitement, rearing,
plunging, fighting, and using every effort to throw their riders.

264j scraps from Mr sabeetascae.

on its loftj heights. My troop was shortly afterwards
ordered to remove into Morar, where we, with several
other troops, were sheltered under some sheds which
had been hastily run up for our accommodation.

While staying here, I was sent one day up to Gwalior
fort to bring in the dead body of our hospital sergeant.
As he died under peculiar circumstances, I will briefly
relate them : —

A sick sergeant of the artillery was in the hospital
at the fort, and it seems he was a great friend of
Sergeant Culpin, the hospital sergeant. This man always
carried a revolver about with him, chiefly from habit.
One day the hospital sergeant jokingly reminded him of
the uselessness of carrying such a weapon in hospital.
The other remarked he might find use for it there as
well as anywhere else, and, in a lark, he drew it, exclaim-
ing, " By God, I '11 shoot you ! ** Somehow the weapon
went off, and, to the man's horror, shot the unfortunate
sergeant, who died within twenty-four hours, leaving a
young widow and child to deplore his loss. The
artillery sergeant was tried and acquitted with a severe
reprimand, as the deed was proved to be done by acci-
dent, though the words he had made use of certainly
made it look very black against him.

I brought the corpse to Morar, where it was buried.
To my great surprise the next day my name was read
out in orders as the successor of the sergeant, and the
following one saw me installed in Gwalior fort as acting
hospital sergeant. I lived in the fort for some months,
and felt the full benefit of the change from the sweltering

GWALIOB FORT. 265

heat of the plains to the cool and bracing atmosphere
of the forty which, being about 400 feet in height, made
the air*alwajs deliciouslj cool and pleasant.

My room looked down on to the city of Gwalior, and
it made one feel giddy to look down the perpendicular
side of the rock and see the people below. By the aid
of a telescope I had a capital opportunity of inspecting
the internal economy of many of the establishments near
the fort; and I thus witnessed many little domestic
episodes, which the performers of never thought were
being overlooked by the Feringee, or they would have
shunned their court-yards and house-tops. During my
leisure hours I explored all over the place, weaving
many a romance in my own mind from a stray couplet
or verse of poetry written on the walls of some room in
what had probably been the harem — wondering what
fair being had written them, and what had been the
fate of the writer, and a thousand other extravagances
which the lines conjured up, and which only a dreamer
could indulge in ; and the more I saw of it, the more
I was struck with wonder at its vast strength, and
the strange freak of nature in erecting this one solid
rock in the midst of the plain. I believe no power
on earth could ever take it if properly manned and
provisioned.

The views from all sides of the fort were magnificent,
the country stretching out like a map on all sides, till
sky and earth blended together in the distance.

On the side of the fort nearest the Lushkar, was a sort
of gully or hollow where were some immense idols carved

266 SCRAPS FBOH HT SABRETASCUK/

out of the solid rock. Some idea maj be formed of ihe
monBtrous size of these idols when I state that I have
climbed up the steps cut out of the rock at the sides,
and have reclined on the under lip of one of them.

In the centre of the fort was a large tank cut out
from the solid rock, in which was a constant supply of
clear cold water; the wonder was how water could
naturally find its waj to such a height.

As the cold season came on, the hospital establishment
was shifted from the fort down to Morar again, and was
put up in a large building which, I think, had been the
hospital for the Gwalior Contingent.

A camel race came o£E while we were at Morar, and
thej entered into the spirit of the thing with all the
fire of racers, going along at a tremendous swinging
pace. There was also an elephant race, and it was
something out of the common to see half-a-dozen ele-
phants come thundering along with erect trunks, and
shaking the very ground with their ponderous weight.

Among the troops there was a good deal of drill going
on — licking a Sikh levy into shape — training the camel
corps. This was a new feature in warfare, and likely to
be of great service, as after a march or pursuit the
infantry can dismount from the camels comparatively
fresh. Each camel has a double saddle fitted to its back ;
on the front saddle sits the native driver, on the rear one
sits the infantryman (it should be camelry man). It used
to be laughable to see them being drilled. The camels
go through their movements with almost as much pre-
cision as cavalry, but, till the men got used to it, it was

GWALIOR FORT. 267

laughable to see how tenaciously they clung to the native
driver — for camels are not the easiest animals in the
world to ride at a long trot.

Here I used often to receive visits from the chaplain,
who had recently arrived from England, and was anxious
to gather all the information he could concerning India.
I used to have long chats with him, which he evidently
enjoyed; and, I need not say, I enlightened him very
considerably, to his surprise and horror in many cases.

This gentleman one day, shortly after his arrival, came
to me, and said he understood there were several religious
men in the regiment, and he wished to know how and
where he might be able to see them. I told him if he
walked down the horse lines any evening at stable-time
he would have an excellent opportunity of doing so, as
they would be sure to be there.

" But," inquired the chaplain, looking somewhat mysti-
fied, " how can I tell them from the others if I see them?"

" Nothing more simple," I replied ; " when you see an
awkward, round-shouldered man, or one with weak knees,
you may be certain he is one of the parties you are seeking
for."

Do you mean to tell me, then," cried the chaplain,

that religious men are not as smart as other men ? "

** Of course they are not," I replied ; " look what a
shambling spider-legged fellow you had for a clerk last
Sunday — he 's a specimen."

" Certainly," agreed the chaplain, " he '« not a very
ismart man ; but they can't all be awkward, or, if they
are, how do you account for it? "

268 SCRAPS FROM MT SABBETASOHE.

'' I can give no other reason/' I replied, looking as
serious as I possibly could — for I had great difficulty to
keep mj countenance — '' than that the round shoulders
are caused by the weight of sin they bear, and which they
jerk up in the way a porter would to ease it, till, like
Christian, they may cast it from them ; and that constant
kneeling makes them give way at the knees."

Another time, the chaplain, who was really a good,,
kind-hearted man, came to me, as usual, for a chat, and
anxious to get some information, he commenced the
conyersation with —

" Oh, Sergeant, I have just come from the 71st hospital,,
and I find that they have no less than thirty- four patients
suffering from diseases caused by immorality, while in
your hospital there are but three ; how do you account
for that ? *'

" That is easily accounted for," I replied ; " for we keep
a stud, and they do not."

" Keep a stud ! " exclaimed he, somewhat mystified ; " I
don't properly understand you."

I then explained to him that so many women were
allowed to follow the regiment, and were under its pro-
tection, who had a regular tariff, were inspected weekly,
and, if necessary, put under medical treatment till well.

" Good heavens ! " exclaimed the horror-struck chaplain ;.
" and do you mean to tell me such things are allowed ? "

I assured him they w^re not only allowed, but were
considered a great benefit to the men, and a great saving to
Government, preventing much sickness, which, but for these
regulations, would undoubtedly prevail amongst them.

GWALIOB FORT. 269

** But look at the gross immoralitj ! " cried tbe shocked
chaplain, and "

" Look at the benefit ! " I interrupted. " You yourself
have just proved the advantage of such a system. The 71st
having joined on the road, no women are attached to the
regiment, they have thirty -four men sick ; we have women
attached to the 14th, and we have only three men sick."

This argument was unanswerable ; though the chaplain
expatiated very strongly on the immorality of the thing,
and declared he would do his best, by representing the
matter in the proper quarters, to get it put a stop to. I
declared that if he did he would be doing an injury to the
men which all the good intentions in the world would not
justify. That this was an exceptional case of sinning in
which "out of evil cometh good.** I have never heard
whether he succeeded or not, but I think not ; in fact, I
don*t think he ever put in his protest, becoming more
reconciled to the system the more he perceived the good
derived from it.

Soon after, we were ordered to go by bullock train* to
Bombay, there to embark for England. Off we started
by detachments, one troop a day ; I bringing up the rear
with the hospital establishment, — not in charge now, how-

* These are carts made to hold two men each, so that they can lie
down in them ; each cart is drawn by two bullocks. Every few miles
distance there is a " bullock station," where the bullocks are changed.
This operation does not take a minute to effect, and excepting a halt
of two hours or so at mid-day, for the purpose of getting a meal
cooked, the train goes on unceasingly day and night. After travelling
about a thousand miles in this manner one's nerves get pretty well
shaken up.

270 SCRAPS FROM MY S ARRET ASCHE.

ever — for, whatever my ability, my services as a non-
commissioned officer were not sufficiently long to entitle
me to the exalted rank of full hospital sergeant, so that
when the regiment got together I was superseded, but
was left with my successor for a month or two to instruct
him in his duties.

In due time we reached Bombay, with every nerve in
our bodies vibrating with a month's incessant jolting in
the bullock-train. Here we found the order to proceed ta
England was countermanded ; we were to return to our
old station, Kirkee, where we had the satisfaction of
amusing ourselves by breaking in a regiment of young
horses, our own having been left up the country.

27J

CHAPTER XXXV.

CONCLUSION.

'*I THOUGHT you Said your horse was as quiet as a
lamb ; why, he 's a perfect brute ! I wouldn't have him
for any money ! " exclaimed the captain, in high
dudgeon.

I did not expect he would. This was just what I
had anticipated, and what I had carefully paved the way
for. After breaking in a horse, and getting him nicely
to your hand, it is not pleasant to have him taken away
from you, even by your own captain, who has the right
of selecting any horse he chooses — and who is generally
careful to do so after it is broken in.

A magnificent iron-grey had fallen to my share from
the remounts ; it was admired by everyone, and I was
quite proud of my acquisition, and no mother took more
pains to teach her little one to run alone than I did to
try and train my horse well. From the first moment,
however, of my obtaining possession of the horse, I had
noticed the longing eye the captain had thrown on it;
and I knew that he only waited till the horse was nicely
broken in, when he would compliment me by selecting

272 SCRAPS FROM MY SABBETASOHE.

him as his charger — after all the trouble I had taken with
him, too.

In anticipation of this, and to cause the captain to
wish to get rid of the horse quicker than he took him, I
had trained him to kick out lustily if one touched him
with the spur when mounting, or on first starting off in
a canter. This little arrangement I had, of course, kept
entirely to myself.

Sure enough, when the horse was broken in, my fore-
bodings were realised ; the captain ordered him to be
taken to his bungalow, to make a trial of him. He dii
make a trial of him ; got on the horse's back, and was
pressing him o£E into a gentle canter, when the '^ lamb "
gave a bound, throwing up his hind-legs at the same
time, and sent the captain flying over his head.

This was devilish strange! so quiet as he always
appeared, too. The captain essayed to mount him again ;
but the horse seemed to object to having him on his
back, and unhorsed him again in a twinkling; so that,
in sheer disgust, the captain was glad to hand him over
to me agaiu, with the reputation of his being a '' perfect
brute.'* I thus retained peaceable possession of my
charger; but for fear the plot should be suspected, I
caused him to let out a kick now and then for the
captain's special behoof, who really thought him the
" perfect brute " he had described him.

Amusements of all kinds again became the order of the
day — or rather night, for our days were devoted to regi-
mental duties — and I spent some very pleasant hours in
Kirkee. The 6th Inniskillings were quartered in the

CONCLUSION. 273

same barracks with us, and' the two regiments were on
the best of terms, fraternising on all occasions. The two
sergeants' messes were contiguous, and we had many
uproarious evenings, the sergeants of both regiments
assembling at either mess. In these meetings I always
took care to keep myself comjpos mentis , so as to catch
every bit of the fun going on.

When a private I was never once in the guard-room,
but I had no sooner been made a N. C. O. than I was
perpetually getting into some scrape or other, out of
which I as constantly succeeded in getting. Most of my
scrapes originated from neglect of some trifling detail of
duty, or carelessness. When reprimanded by the sergeant-
major for some neglect of duty, it was a common habit
of mine to pooh-pooh the affair as trifling and imma-
terial. Indeed, at this time I was generally known by
the nickname of "Immaterial." The name originated
chiefly in this manner, as well as by making constant use
of the word : —

One day the sergeant-major of my troop asked me
the number of my horse. I told him I hadn't the
remotest idea, but I could easily ascertain. Hereupon, I
called the ghora-wallah, from whom I quickly obtained
the requisite information. The sergeant-major remarked,
" You are a queer sort of non-commissioned ofl&cer not
to know the number of your own horse."

" Sergeant-major," I gravely replied, " It 's immaterial
what number the horse is. I make it a point to ride
him as well as I can ; not to stare down at his feet to
look at his number,"

18

274 SCBAPS F£OM MY SABBETASCfiE.

I cannot here resist relating a joke played bj some of
our young subs, on a brother ofScer, who was not much
of a favourite either with oflficers or men, and whom the
former looked upon as being snobbish in his ways, and
determined to represent as a bond fide and literal snob.

On a Sunday morning we were marching to church,
and as we drew near the bungalow of the snobbish
officer in question, those in the rear heard a suppressed
titter run through the ranks at the head of the regiment ;
this titter occasionally fully developed into loud laughter,
pursuing its course through the different troops as they
successively passed the bungalow. The cause of this
laughter was a sign-board, on which was usually seen

the words Lieut. 14th Light Dragoons, informing

the passer-by that the individual named on the board
resided there, but which on the present occasion had had
a few slight additions made, and read as follows : —

Lieutenant ,

(14th Light Dragoons),

Bout and Shoe Maker.

Repairs Neatly Executed.

Country Orders promptly attended to.

This had been done by the young officers during the

night, and Lieut. had not observed it when leaving

his bungalow to go to parade — his back being to it.
He must have been rather annoyed at finding himself
made a bult of before the whole of the regiment.

Another adventure occurred here at this time of a
more serious nature, and led to unpleasant results. The
sergeant-major of the officers' mess had recently married

CONCLUSION. 275

a very handsome woman, and had left the service, openmg
a store in Poena.

A young harum-scarum officer of the regiment must
needs fall in love with this woman, and succeeded in
inspiring her with the same sentiment, and it ended in
her proving unfaithful to her husband ; the two carrying
on an illicit intercourse unsuspected- for some time — the
young officer visiting the frail one in the disguise of a
lady, which his youthful appearance enabled him to do
admirably.

The husband at last got scent of these stolen meetings,
and one day caught the guilty pair together; but the
officer dashed through an open window, mounted a horse,
and galloped off to his bungalow at Kirkee, followed
shortly after by the injured husband bent on having
satisfaction for the injury.

On arriving at the bungalow, the husband walked
straight into the room where the gay Lothario was, and
pulling out a pistol and pointing it at him, exclaimed,

" B , I 've come to shoot you 1" Suiting the action

to the word, he fired, and shot the officer through the
body. The husband was tried, and got twelve months'
imprisonment. The young officer was so dangerously
wounded that his life was despaired of for some time ;
and we had to leave him in India when we left, it not
being safe to move him. He, however, eventually re-
covered, and rejoined us in Ireland, apparently not much
the worse for the wound.

At length, after having been in India nineteen years,
the regiment again proceeded to Bombay ; and this time

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